Skip to main content

One-Country and All-English European club finals

How domestic league position and point margins influence the outcome

Written by Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp is an experienced sports writer covering Soccer, NBA and NHL. He also writes in depth reviews of sports betting sites based on his personal experience.
, | Updated: May 19, 2025

Manchester United and Tottenham both secured their places in the Europa League final, but their celebrations were short-lived. Since qualifying for the showpiece event, each team recorded consecutive defeats in the Premier League. On top of that, Red Devils and Spurs failed to score a single goal in 180+ minutes of football.

These losses perfectly capture their turbulent domestic campaigns. Manchester United and Tottenham are neighbours in the Premier League standings, struggling in 16th and 17th place, with 39 and 38 points, respectively, and one round remaining. Yet, despite their poor league form, both clubs have excelled in Europe, reaching the decisive game in the Europa League.

But their showdown will be more than just another final. It will be the sixth all-English European club final in history, making the Premier League the domestic league with the most one-country finals, surpassing La Liga and Serie A, which have five each. Notably, it will also feature the smallest margin ever between two finalists from the same country, with just a single point separating Manchester United and Tottenham in the domestic standings.

This contrast between domestic struggles and European success inspired Sportingpedia to investigate how previous one-country European finals have unfolded. Our analysis covers all 18 such finals, examining each finalist’s domestic league finish, point tally, and the difference between them.

Number of one-nation European club finals in history

These unique matchups not only bring familiar rivals onto the grand stage but also reveal an intriguing connection between domestic performance and European success.

Key Takeaways:

  • Out of 18 one-country European finals, the team with the higher league position won the trophy 12 times
  • The biggest gap between two finalists was 38 points, seen in the 2011 all-Portuguese final between Porto and Braga
  • The smallest gap between two European finalists was just two points, recorded in four different finals
  • Seven one-country European finals were decided between teams separated by five points or fewer in their domestic leagues
  • Three of these seven close finals were all-English, and in all three, the team with the higher league finish won the trophy

Who wins when teams from the same league meet in an European final

In 12 of these 18 finals, the team that finished higher in their domestic league went on to lift the European trophy. This trend suggests that superior league form often translates into continental success.

One of the most striking examples of this came in the 2011 all-Portuguese Europa League final. Porto, who won the Primeira Liga with 84 points, an astonishing 38 points ahead of fourth-placed Braga, defeated their domestic rivals in the final. This 38-point gap remains the largest ever seen in a one-country European final, with ten other finals featuring a margin of 10 points or more between the two teams.

But not all one-country finals featured such massive gaps. In eight cases the clubs competing for European glory have been separated by less than 10 points. Four of those were decided between teams just two points apart in their domestic leagues, which remains the smallest margin ever recorded between finalists from one country:

2019 Europa League final: Chelsea (72 points) defeated Arsenal (70) 4-1
2008 Champions League final: Manchester United (87) defeated Chelsea (85) on penalties
2000 Champions League final: Real Madrid (62) overcame Valencia (64) 3-0
2016 Champions League final: Real Madrid (90) edged Atletico Madrid (88) on penalties

Who wins the European final when teams from the same league are separated by 5 or less points in domestic standings

In the history of one-country European finals, the margin between the two finalists in their domestic league has often been tight. Out of the 18 such finals, there have been seven instances where the difference in final standings was five points or fewer. Remarkably, the team with the higher points total has won four of these seven closely contested finals, while the team with fewer points has triumphed three times.

Among these seven close encounters, three have been all-English finals, and all saw the team with the higher league standing triumph with the trophy.

1972
Uefa Cup

3

:

2

Tottenham

League FinishPoints
651

Wolverhampton

League FinishPoints
947

2008
Champions League

1

:

1

Won on penalties (6:5)

Manchester United

League FinishPoints
187

Chelsea

League FinishPoints
285

2019
Champions League

2

:

0

Liverpool

League FinishPoints
297

Tottenham

League FinishPoints
471

2019
Europa League

4

:

1

Chelsea

League FinishPoints
372

Arsenal

League FinishPoints
570

2021
Champions League

1

:

0

Chelsea

League FinishPoints
467

Manchester City

League FinishPoints
186

All-English finals in European club competitions

English clubs have featured prominently in these unique finals, appearing in five all-English European finals so far. In four of these encounters, the team that finished higher in the Premier League went on to win the European trophy. The only exception came in 2021, when Manchester City won the Premier League but lost the Champions League final to Chelsea, who finished fourth.

Tottenham and Manchester United have each experienced all-English European finals. Tottenham first appeared in an all-English final in 1972, winning the UEFA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 on aggregate. 37 years later they reached the Champions League final but lost 2-0 to Liverpool, who finished second in the league with 97 points, 26 points ahead of Spurs. In contrast, Manchester United’s all-English final was a success. The Red Devils defeated Chelsea on penalties in the 2008 Champions League final. Domestically, United won the Premier League, finishing two points ahead of Chelsea.

The upcoming United vs Tottenham clash resembles the 2019 Chelsea-Arsenal Europa League final, where the Blues finished just two positions and two points ahead of the Gunners. Chelsea ended the season in third place on 72 points, while Arsenal finished fifth with 70.

History of one-country finals in European club competitions

Final’s Year Tournament Tournament Winner Score Winner Score Runner-Up Runner-Up League Position Winner League Position Runner-Up League Points Winner Points Runner-Up Difference in League Position Difference in Points
1972UEFA CupTottenham32Wolverhampton69514734
1980UEFA CupEintracht Frankfurt33Borussia Monchengladbach97323624
1990UEFA CupJuventus31Fiorentina4124428816
1991UEFA CupInter21Roma394636610
1995UEFA CupParma21Juventus316373210
1998UEFA CupInter30Lazio276956513
2000Champions LeagueReal Madrid30Valencia53626422
2003Champions LeagueMilan00Juventus316172211
2007Europa LeagueSevilla22Espanyol3117149822
2008Champions LeagueManchester United11Chelsea12878512
2011Europa LeaguePorto10Braga148446338
2012Europa LeagueAtletico Madrid30Athletic Bilbao510564957
2013Champions LeagueBayern Munich21Borussia Dortmund129166125
2014Champions LeagueReal Madrid41Atletico Madrid31879023
2016Champions LeagueReal Madrid11Atletico Madrid23908812
2019Champions LeagueLiverpool20Tottenham249771226
2019Europa LeagueChelsea41Arsenal35727022
2021Champions LeagueChelsea10Manchester City416786319
SportingPedia covers the latest news and predictions in the sports industry. Here you can also find extensive guides for betting on Soccer, NFL, NBA, NHL, Tennis, Horses as well as reviews of the most trusted betting sites.

 Author: Paul Kemp

Related News

  • The energy burned by Djokovic at Wimbledon would power a Tesla 3 for 48 miles The energy burned by Djokovic at Wimbledon would power a Tesla 3 for 48 miles After the conclusion of the most prestigious tennis tournament, the Editorial Team at SportingPedia gathered to analyze one of the less-talked-about aspects of the game – namely the energy exhausted by the players throughout the championship. On Sunday, Novak Djokovic […]
  • Qatar 2022: Teams & players ranked by international experience Qatar 2022: Teams & players ranked by international experience Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will soon have their final shots at winning the elusive World Cup trophy – the only missing piece of silverware of their illustrious careers. Another thing they share is the fact that they both are their national team’s most-capped players – […]
  • The highest earning athletes in Canada The highest earning athletes in Canada The pay of athletes, and female athletes in particular, has been the subject of controversy for some time in Canada. It is no secret that women in sports earn less than their male counterparts – an issue that was recently brought up by the Canadian women’s soccer team. Four […]
  • Denied by the woodwork: The luckiest and unluckiest Premier League teams in front of the goal Denied by the woodwork: The luckiest and unluckiest Premier League teams in front of the goal In the realm of modern football, where inches and milliseconds can make the difference between victory or defeat, luck has always played a significant role. From goals disallowed due to a player being fractionally offside to shots ricochetting off […]
  • Premier League ranking: Clubs providing the most and least game time to their new signings during the 2023/24 season Premier League ranking: Clubs providing the most and least game time to their new signings during the 2023/24 season The Premier League 23/24 season concluded on Sunday, with Manchester City crowned as champions for an unprecedented fourth time in a row. Arsenal, like in the previous campaign, finished in second position, with the gap to […]
»