League bands

The FA sorts the world's domestic leagues into six bands. The band drives three of the six points criteria, which makes it the single most important variable in any GBE assessment. Bands 1 to 5 are named explicitly in the criteria; Band 6 is everything else.

Changed for 2026/27

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Brazil
Band 3Band 2
Süper Lig
Turkey
Band 2Band 3
J1 League
Japan
Band 5Band 4
PrvaLiga
Slovenia
Band 5Band 6

Band 1

12 pts league quality · 12 pts max for minutes

BundesligaGermany
La LigaSpain
Ligue 1France
Premier LeagueEngland
Serie AItaly

Band 2

10 pts league quality · 10 pts max for minutes

Belgian First Division ABelgium
Campeonato Brasileiro Série ABrazil
EFL ChampionshipEngland
EredivisieNetherlands
Primeira LigaPortugal

Band 3

8 pts league quality · 8 pts max for minutes

Liga MXMexico
Major League SoccerUSA
Primera DivisiónArgentina
Scottish PremiershipScotland
Süper LigTurkey

Band 4

6 pts league quality · 6 pts max for minutes

2. BundesligaGermany
Austrian BundesligaAustria
Categoría Primera AColombia
Croatian First Football LeagueCroatia
Czech First LeagueCzechia
Danish SuperligaDenmark
Greek SuperleagueGreece
J1 LeagueJapan
La Liga 2Spain
Ligue 2France
Russian Premier LeagueRussia
Swiss Super LeagueSwitzerland
Ukrainian Premier LeagueUkraine

Band 5

4 pts league quality · 4 pts max for minutes

A-LeagueAustralia
AllsvenskanSweden
EFL League OneEngland
EkstraklasaPoland
EliteserienNorway
K League 1South Korea
Nemzeti Bajnokság IHungary
Primera DivisiónChile
Primera DivisiónUruguay
Serbian SuperLigaSerbia
Serie BItaly

Band 6

2 pts league quality · 2 pts max for minutes

Band 6 is defined by the FA as "all leagues not in Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4 or Band 5". Any league absent from the five bands above sits here by default. A selection of the leagues most often encountered in recruitment:

3. LigaGermany
Botola ProMorocco
Campeonato Brasileiro Série BBrazil
Challenge LeagueSwitzerland
Challenger Pro LeagueBelgium
Chinese Super LeagueChina
Cypriot First DivisionCyprus
Eerste DivisieNetherlands
EFL League TwoEngland
Egyptian Premier LeagueEgypt
Israeli Premier LeagueIsrael
Liga IRomania
Liga Portugal 2Portugal
Parva LigaBulgaria
Primera NacionalArgentina
PrvaLigaSlovenia
Qatar Stars LeagueQatar
Saudi Pro LeagueSaudi Arabia
Scottish ChampionshipScotland
Slovak Super LigaSlovakia
South African PremiershipSouth Africa
Super League 2Greece
USL ChampionshipUSA
VeikkausliigaFinland

Continental competition bands

Continental competitions are banded separately, and the gap is severe — a Champions League campaign is worth up to 10 points for minutes and 10 for progression, while anything outside the top two tiers is capped at 2.

Band 1
- UEFA Champions League
- Copa Libertadores
Band 2
- UEFA Europa League
- UEFA Europa Conference League
- Copa Sudamericana
- FIFA Club World Cup
Band 3
- AFC Champions League
- CAF Champions League
- CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Other continental competition

Source: The Football Association, Men's Players Points Based System 2026/27, effective 15 June 2026. Read the criteria in full.

Run a player through the calculator

The five ways a GBE check goes wrong

One email, straight away, with the mistakes that cost clubs a signing: dual nationality missed, last season's bands used, minutes counted instead of shared, the loan rule ignored, a panel treated as a plan. After that, only when the FA moves the bands.

One confirmation step, then you're on. Unsubscribe in one click.