- contact@uefacoachingacademy.com
Join over 200,000 coaches across Europe holding a valid UEFA-endorsed license, from volunteers running under-9s on a Saturday morning to the managers in the Champions League dugout. They all came through the same four-level structure.
Alongside the four core licenses, UEFA endorses specialist qualifications for coaches who work in specific areas of the game:
| Diploma | You Must Hold | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Youth B | UEFA B License | Youth player development |
| Elite Youth A | Youth B or UEFA A | Advanced youth coaching |
| Goalkeeper B | UEFA C License | Goalkeeper coaching fundamentals |
| Goalkeeper A | UEFA B License | Advanced goalkeeper coaching |
| Futsal B | UEFA C License | Futsal-specific coaching |
| Fitness B | UEFA C License (varies) | Physical preparation and conditioning |
These branch from the core pathway rather than replacing it. Most require a core license before you can start.
Every level has a prerequisite and, from the B upward, a minimum period of coaching experience. You cannot skip levels.
| Diploma | You must already hold | Experience required before applying | Minimum hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA C | Nothing at UEFA level | None specified by UEFA | 60 |
| UEFA B | Valid UEFA C license | 6 months' coaching by the course start date | 120 |
| UEFA A | Valid UEFA B license | 1 year in 11-a-side football, after graduating with the B | 180 |
| UEFA Pro | Valid UEFA A license | 1 year after graduating with the A, as head coach at elite youth or senior amateur level, or assistant coach in professional football | 360 |
Source: UEFA Coaching Convention, via uefa.com — checked July 2026
| Level | Hours | Prerequisites | Typical Cost* | Duration | Who It's For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA C | 60+ | None (some associations require entry course) | €300–€800 | 14–20 weeks | Grassroots coaches, teachers, volunteers |
| UEFA B | 120+ | Valid C License + 6 months experience | €1,000–€2,000 | 6–12 months | Youth coaches, senior amateur coaches |
| UEFA A | 180+ | Valid B License + 1 year 11-a-side experience | €3,000–€5,000 | 12–18 months | Academy coaches, semi-pro/pro coaches |
| UEFA Pro | 360+ | Valid A License + elite professional experience | €5,000–€10,000 | 12–24 months | First-team managers, elite academy directors |
*Costs vary significantly by country. See our detailed cost breakdown by country for exact figures from England, Germany, Spain, France, and more.
This is the single most misunderstood thing about coaching qualifications, and getting it wrong costs people money.
UEFA does not run coaching courses for individual coaches. It never has. What UEFA does is set the minimum standards a course must meet — how many hours, what has to be taught, what a candidate must already hold before enrolling. Those standards live in a document called the UEFA Coaching Convention, in place since 1998.
The courses themselves are delivered by national football associations. The Football Association runs English courses. The Deutscher Fußball-Bund runs German ones. There are 55 member associations, and every one of them delivers its own courses, sets its own fees, opens its own application windows, and issues its own licenses.
When an association signs up to the Convention, its diplomas and licenses are recognized as UEFA diplomas and licenses. That is what “UEFA-recognized” means in practice: not that UEFA taught you, but that the association which taught you meets UEFA’s benchmark.
So there is no such thing as applying to UEFA for a license. UEFA’s own guidance is to contact your national football association for course information, availability and eligibility. If a website offers to enroll you directly in a UEFA course, it is either acting as an intermediary to an association or misrepresenting what it does.
The Convention was revised in 2025. Among the changes: new specialist diplomas at Futsal C, Futsal A, Fitness B and Fitness A, extending futsal into a full C to B to A pathway and formalizing fitness coaching as a UEFA-endorsed specialism for the first time. The revision also reserved a proportion of course places for female coaches and introduced combined options for long-serving players.
Rollout is uneven. A handful of associations were already running their own fitness diplomas before UEFA formalized them; most are not yet delivering the new specialisms. If you are looking for a Fitness B or a Futsal A, availability depends entirely on your association, and in most countries it does not yet exist.
One note on cross-checking: UEFA’s own public summary of its coaching licenses has not been updated to include the 2025 additions. If the specialist list looks shorter on uefa.com than it does here, that is why.
Costs vary dramatically depending on the country, level, and whether funding is available. Here is a snapshot for 2026:
| Country | C License | B License | A License | Pro License | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | £650 (£95 funded) | £1,250 | ~£4,000 | Not published | Strong funding for grassroots |
| Germany | €800–€1,200 | €1,500–€2,500 | €3,000–€5,000 | €5,000–€8,000 | English courses available |
| Scotland | £400–£600 | £800–£1,200 | £2,000–£3,000 | £4,000–£6,000 | Competitive pricing |
| Spain | €500–€800 | €1,000–€1,800 | €2,500–€4,000 | €5,000+ | Strong tactical focus |
| France | €600–€900 | €1,200–€2,000 | €3,000–€4,500 | €6,000+ | FFF methodology |
Important notes:
A UEFA license is endorsed by UEFA and recognized across all 55 member federations. National badges are valid only within their own system. UEFA licenses generally carry more prestige and broader recognition.
No, but it helps. England accepts 5+ years of professional playing experience as qualifying experience. However, you still need a valid UEFA A License first, and places are extremely competitive.
At the highest levels, no. The UEFA Pro License is mandatory for Premier League managers and top-tier coaches in Germany, Spain, and most major leagues. Lower levels may accept national qualifications.