Rome, Italy: European Football Clubs (EFC) has launched its new identity at its 32nd General Assembly in Rome, as part of its ongoing strategy to ensure clubs and their interests are at the heart of football. Formerly known as European Club Association (ECA), EFC launches with more than 800 members across 55 nations as one unified voice of clubs, with the new name more clearly embodying and communicating who the organisation represents and what it stands for.

EFC brings together men’s and women’s clubs of all sizes from across the continent — with the mission of helping every member club grow and develop, while ensuring that, collectively, clubs are central to decision-making on the regional and global football stages.

The rebrand of the organisation reflects an incredible transformation already underway. In the past two years alone, EFC has:

• More than tripled its membership to over 800 clubs including 139 women’s clubs, having modernised its governance to open its membership like never before and ensure a stronger voice for members of all sizes.

• Played a leading role in enhancing competition formats to increase the number of clubs given the opportunity to play European and international club football across the men’s and women’s game, while also improving the format of the competitions, to widespread fan and stakeholder approval.

• Reinforced long-term strategic partnerships with UEFA and FIFA, to ensure clubs’ voices are influencing the direction of club football globally, driving significant revenue growth for all clubs in Europe and worldwide, while also securing record funds for clubs for releasing players for national team football.

• Delivered on its commitment to all clubs, in partnership with UEFA, by guaranteeing over €440 million annually in solidarity funding for clubs not participating in European competitions, together with $250 million solidarity for the recent FIFA Club World Cup.

• Launched a central Membership department providing benefits and services 24/7 for our members, solving real issues that clubs of every size face spanning legal, financial, commercial, digital, scouting and much more.

Additionally, EFC has ensured clubs have a genuine influence in the future of the tournaments in which they participate. In a landmark move, which is unprecedented in world football, in 2025 EFC and UEFA launched the joint venture, UC3, which establishes clubs as equal partners in shaping the commercial future of men’s and women’s European club competitions, with a similar joint venture partnership being put in place with FIFA.

Speaking at the EFC launch event, attended by hundreds of clubs, stakeholders and legends of the game in Rome on the eve of the organisation’s General Assembly, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of EFC, said: “The launch of EFC is a milestone moment in our great institution’s evolution and modernisation. We have placed football and ‘football clubs’ in the middle of everything we do, to communicate more clearly who we are, and also what we stand for. However, this is also so much more than a rebrand — it shows we are always thinking differently and pushing boundaries to be even better.

“Most importantly, it is a declaration that football is at the heart of everything we do, and that clubs are at the heart of everything we represent. Our name finally matches our purpose, and our purpose matches our name — we will never stop working for the collective interests of all our members, and the development of club football as a whole.”

The EFC General Assembly in Rome this week will bring together hundreds of leaders from clubs and the wider sport to discuss the future of football. It will include speaking sessions from legends of the game, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucy Bronze and Sara Gama, and a live episode of The Overlap — the hugely popular football show hosted by Gary Neville, Jill Scott, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Roy Keane.

The event will also include the launch of the EFC Women’s Network, hosted in partnership with Women in Football, and a range of forums for clubs, players and officials to discuss the opportunities and challenges impacting the future of the game, including a session with the leading fan community platform in world sport, Fanatics.

Looking ahead, EFC is committed to continue working proactively with UEFA, FIFA and other global stakeholders to ensure that the voice of clubs is central to shaping football’s future.
Visit our new website www.efcfootball.com for more information.