Coaching licences explained — the UEFA ladder and its CONMEBOL and Concacaf counterparts

Coaching · 3 min read · facts checked 21 September 2026

UEFA's C, B, A and Pro diplomas, the minimum hours behind each, who needs which to work in European competition, and how the South American and Concacaf ladders line up.

A coaching licence is football's professional qualification. The names are similar on every continent — C, B, A, Pro — but the ladders are run by different confederations, and they are not automatically interchangeable.

The UEFA ladder

UEFA sets minimum standards through its Coaching Convention; the national associations that have signed it deliver the courses. The core diplomas, with the minimum hours of education UEFA publishes for each:

Alongside them run specialist diplomas: Youth B (60 hours) and Elite Youth A (120) for player development, Goalkeeper B (60) and Goalkeeper A (120), and Futsal B (120).

Those hours are minimums set by UEFA. Associations add their own entry requirements, assessments and practical work — so the hours tell you the floor, not the workload. For entry requirements and dates, go to the national association that runs the course.

Who actually needs one

For clubs entering UEFA competitions, the licence requirements are part of club licensing. Under the 2026 edition of UEFA's club licensing regulations:

• the first-team head coach must hold a valid UEFA Pro licence where the club's national association has signed the Coaching Convention at Pro level — otherwise a UEFA A;
• the assistant coach needs a UEFA A (or a B where the association has not signed at Pro level);
• the goalkeeper coach needs the highest available UEFA goalkeeper licence;
• the head of youth development and youth coaches need an Elite Youth A, A, B or Youth B depending on the role and the association.

These are the conditions for playing in Europe. Domestic leagues set their own rules on top, which this guide has not verified league by league.

CONMEBOL

South America's confederation runs its own convention with the same four names: Licencia C, B, A and PRO. Its 2026 convention sets the course hours at 120, 160, 260 and 370 respectively — more hours than UEFA's minimums at every level, though the two are not directly comparable, since UEFA's figures are floors that associations build on.

UEFA and CONMEBOL signed a mutual-recognition agreement on 16 December 2022 in Doha. It is focused on the Pro licence, the A licence and the Goalkeeper A licence, and it works through a recognition procedure — a South American Pro licence is not automatically a UEFA Pro licence, and the reverse is also true.

Concacaf

Concacaf launched its own Coaching Convention in March 2022, with a pathway running from the Concacaf C through B and A to a Pro Licence. Its member associations deliver the courses. We have not verified the hours behind each level.

Choosing a course

• Start where you coach. A licence is awarded by an association, and the usual route is through the association of the country you work in.
• Check recognition before you travel. If you hope to work in another confederation, ask that confederation's association how — and whether — your licence would be recognised. The UEFA–CONMEBOL agreement covers specific licences through a specific procedure; do not assume more.
• The licence gets you the interview. What you have actually coached — and how well you can show it — gets you the job. The badge is the minimum, not the differentiator.

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