Giorgio Marchetti: 'We want the best and most inclusive competitions in the world'
Thursday, September 3, 2026
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Giorgio Marchetti needs little introduction within European football.
To supporters, he is the calm and familiar presence at UEFA’s biggest draws, equally recognised for his extensive experience by colleagues and stakeholders for his central role in shaping the competitions behind them.
As UEFA deputy general secretary and director of football, Giorgio’s responsibilities span the delivery, growth and development of UEFA’s men’s and women’s competitions, at both club and national team level.
As the curtain comes up on another new season, he reflects on football's ever-changing landscape and the his own career at the heart of the game.
Giorgio, what are your earliest memories of football and what made you fall in love with the game?
My earliest memories of football date back to the 1960s, but I always say that there is one game that is the match of my life, and that's the semi-final of the 1970 World Cup between Italy and Germany, which Italy won 4-3 after extra-time.
It was a crazy match, which remains etched in my memory as if I watched it last week. I will never forget the emotion of that day, and can remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, and even the comments that we were making, and this is something which happened more than 50 years ago! That's the strength of football and the power it has over us.
Can you tell us about your professional journey in the game?
I have spent all my life in football, which was always my passion, so to combine that with a professional career was a dream and I consider myself to be very privileged.
I started very young as a university student with a part-time job, and I was very lucky because I was offered the opportunity to manage the provision of non-technical supplies to the Italian national team, which went on to win the World Cup in 1982.
After this initial spell, I continued with the Italian Professional League and was general secretary for my final seven years there until 2004, when I accepted the position of director of professional football and marketing at UEFA.
Does it surprise you how much the game has changed over the past 22 years?
Everything has changed in our competitions, but we live in a changing world and football must keep pace with that. So, for example, there are changes to technology and to financial markets that make an impact, and one of the most notable changes is how the ownership of clubs has changed in that time. There is huge investment into European football now, which is very positive, but it creates new challenges, such as multi-club ownership, at the same time.
We speak following the 2026/27 season kick-off event in Monaco and the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League draws. How do you reflect on the week?
The Monaco week is always very special, with a huge gathering of clubs and stakeholders. It's there that you feel that everything is really restarting and that these amazing competitions are back again.
It's a hectic week for us with a lot of pressure, and what you see looks like a simple draw but there is really a lot going on in the background to make sure that it runs well.
A lot of hard work is contributed by the great staff that we have at UEFA, and people should see the technology that supports the operation backstage, it really is impressive. It's hard to imagine when you only see what happens on the screen, but there are many complications and calculations that require the support of very powerful technology.
"Mathematically, there are billions of theoretical outcomes."
That technology is fed with all the information concerning the individual clubs, in order to respect the draw conditions. Mathematically, there are billions of theoretical outcomes. Then you have to factor in the known draw conditions, such as for example the exclusion of pairings between clubs of the same country.
The computer needs to draw 144 fixtures without breaching one single condition, before we then finalise the fixture calendars, which are even more complicated with additional constraints such as for example stadium and city clashes, security considerations and so on. It's very hard work, so we can be happy that we always manage to respect the vast majority of these conditions without significant problems.
This week, UEFA also welcomed participating clubs to Nyon for a series of meetings to help them prepare for the season ahead. How do they benefit by attending?
This event is extremely important because our competitions are a partnership between UEFA and the clubs, relying on positive cooperation and seamless events.
It can only help to bring clubs together at the beginning of the season to exchange important information, grow their networks, plan for the season ahead and tackle specific challenges together.
Over the years, we have seen the benefits of this exchange and setting the standard for what is required to deliver successful matches and events.
More on this season's UEFA men's club competitions
We are about to kick off the third season of the current club competition cycle, which introduced the new league-phase format. How do you reflect on its impact since 2024?
It really is a huge success. When we made the change, we had some objectives in mind and were extremely confident, but naturally there were also concerns at changing such an established format and a competition familiar to fans around the world.
What we have seen in the first two seasons is very satisfying, and the football community has recognised and understood the benefits of this format. We see different matches and top clashes, high stakes from the beginning until the end, with direct qualification to the knockout stages, the play-offs or instant elimination all on the line.
This season, Inter Escaldes qualified for the UEFA Conference League to ensure Andorra becomes the 53rd national association represented at a UEFA group stage or league phase, with 16 more clubs set to make their competition debuts. Was this an aim of the new format when it was launched?
We want the best competitions in the world, but we want also the most inclusive competitions in the world. As a European organisation, we have a commitment to the values of openness and inclusion.
To have reached 53 out of 55 associations is a great achievement, and the number of debutants this year shows both the benefit of the European sports model and the vitality of European football. There are clubs with very strong merits who are queuing up to participate in our competitions and that's evidence of the strength of European football.
"The number of debutants this year shows both the benefit of the European sports model and the vitality of European football."
Has the success of the club format inspired the proposed changes to the international competitions concept from 2028 onwards?
Across the past ten to twelve years, we have looked at all competitions, and nothing has been left unchanged in men's or women's football, our youth competitions, or futsal.
We have added new competitions with very positive results, like for example the UEFA Nations League, which has worked extremely well and is a vibrant competition where every team has a lot to play for.
That's why when we reviewed the European Qualifiers format, we sought to introduce a similar concept, and by combining the Nations League and new club competition formats, we found a solution to propose to the national associations.
In May, we reached a unanimous consensus about the value of the new format. It was a big challenge, because the new concept had to fit the existing calendar and not create any additional fixtures or physical demands on players. We know that nothing more can be added to the calendar, which has reached its natural limit.
Women's football has also been revolutionised and continues to develop quickly. Does the game feel unrecognisable from when you arrived at UEFA in 2004?
The acceleration in the development of women's football has been astonishing over that period and you cannot even compare women's football in its current state with what we had 20, or even 15 years ago.
This is a result of intentional strategies, investment, and commitment on the side of UEFA, our national associations and the clubs. Everybody has participated in this process and the development that the game has seen at all levels is simply unbelievable.
Finally, how can we ensure that our women's competitions continue to grow?
We need to keep strengthening the entire ecosystem, and of course our competitions are an important part of that.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League has been given a platform and treatment increasingly aligned with our men’s competitions, and its format has continued to evolve. In national team football, the introduction of a complete cycle alternating between the UEFA Women’s Nations League and the European Qualifiers has created more meaningful and competitive matches, and aspects of that system helped inspire the changes that are coming in the men’s game.
The latest on women's football
But competitions are only one part of the picture. Since 2019, UEFA has implemented successive women’s football strategies, Time For Action and now Unstoppable, designed to address every area of the game, including grassroots participation, youth development, professionalisation and the continued evolution of our competitions. It is a 360-degree approach that leaves no stone unturned.
Perhaps the clearest recent demonstration of how far the game has come was the success of UEFA Women’s EURO in Switzerland. We saw full stadiums, supporters travelling across Europe to follow their teams and fans completely engaged by the matches. It was a wonderful festival and, above all, an outstanding football event.
There have been many milestones along the way, and this was the latest one that helped to confirm the growing sporting appeal, visibility and support for women’s football. Our responsibility now is to build on that momentum and ensure the game continues to develop sustainably at every level.