Biography

The teams finishing at the top of a country’s league may be eligible also to play in international club competitions in the following season. The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura, awarding a champion for each. The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more “cup” competitions organised on a knock-out basis. Attract most of the world’s best players and each of the leagues has a total wage cost in excess of £600 million/€763 million/US$1.185 billion. The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more “cup” competitions organised on a knock-out basis.