Contextual factors associated with open-play versus set-piece goals across UEFA club competitions

UEFA's men's club competitions provide distinct competitive contexts yet limited research has compared the circumstances associated with open-play and set-piece goals across these tournaments. This retrospective observational study examined whether goal type was associated with competition and match-specific contextual factors across the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL), and UEFA Europa Conference League (UCFL). A total of 1,209 goals from 385 matches were coded and analysed using mixed-effects logistic regression, with competition, goal time, scoring-team venue, match context, defensive pressure, and competition stage included as fixed effects and match included as a random intercept. Open play accounted for 969 goals (80%) and set pieces for 240 goals (20%). The primary analysis provided limited evidence of competition-level differences. Match context and defensive pressure were associated with goal type, although both associations attenuated after penalties were excluded. In the post hoc penalty-excluded analysis, UEL goals had higher adjusted odds of originating from open play than a non-penalty set-piece compared with UCFL goals. Goal time, scoring-team venue, and competition stage provided little evidence of associations with goal type. These findings describe the composition of goals that were scored rather than scoring probability or effectiveness. Competition-level estimates should therefore be interpreted as descriptive contextual associations, and penalties should be considered separately from other set-piece situations.