Ajax can prepare for a very tough draw in the group stage of the Champions League next season. The team from Amsterdam had a chance to win a place in the favorable pot 2 until Sunday, but due to the results in the top competitions they have been definitively sentenced to pot 3. Meanwhile, 25 clubs are certain of participating in the group stage of the billion tournament. PSV can add to this this summer through the preliminary rounds.
The Netherlands closed the 2019/20 season as number ten in the UEFA country ranking, which means that the champion of the Eredivisie, Ajax, immediately moves on to the group stage. In any case, Pot 1 contains the champions of the six highest-ranking countries (Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Lille OSC, Sporting Portugal). The Champions League winner and Europa League winner can join this. If the Champions League is won by Manchester City, which is already assured of pot 1, the champion of Russia, Zenit Saint Petersburg, also takes place in pot 1. Villarreal can only qualify by winning the Europa League and ends up in that case in jar 1.
Pot classification with CL win Man City and EL win Man United
| CLUBS IN POT 1 | POSTED AS | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| Atlético Madrid | 1st of Spain | 115,000 |
| Manchester City | 1st of England | 125,000 |
| Bayern Munich | 1st of Germany | 134,000 | Internazionale | 1st of Italy | 53,000 |
| Lille OSC | 1st of France | 14,000 |
| Sporting Portugal | 1st of Portugal | 45,500 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 1st of Russia | 50,000 |
| Manchester United | Europa League Winner | 112,000 |
| CLUBS IN POT 2 | POSTED AS | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 3rd in Spain | 127,000 |
| Barcelona | 2nd in Spain | 122,000 |
| Juventus | 4th of Italy | 120,000 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2nd in France | 113,000 |
| Liverpool | 3rd in England | 101,000 |
| Seville | 4th of Spain | 98,000 |
| Chelsea | 4th of England | 92,000 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 3rd in Germany | 90.00 |
| CLUBS IN POT 3 | POSTED AS | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| FC Porto | 2nd of Portugal | 87,000 |
| Ajax | 1st in the Netherlands | 82,500 |
| RB Leipzig | 2nd in Germany | 76,000 |
| Atalanta | 2nd in Italy | 50,500 |
| Besiktas | 1st of Turkey | 49,000 |
| Dinamo Kiev | 1st of Ukraine | 47,000 |
| Club Brugge | 1st in Belgium | 35,500 |
| AC Milan | 2nd in Italy | 31,000 |
| CLUBS IN POT 4 | POSTED AS | COEFFICIENT |
|---|---|---|
| VfL Wolfsburg | 4th in Germany | 14.714 |
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From pot 2, the ranking is determined on the basis of the club coefficient: the higher a club is in the ranking, the higher the place in the pot classification. In the final phase of the foreign competitions, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, among others, managed to qualify for the Champions League in the nick of time. Those clubs have a higher coefficient than Ajax and therefore push the team from Amsterdam towards pot 3. In pot 2, in addition to the aforementioned clubs, there are at least Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund. If Chelsea wins the Champions League and Man United the Europa League, the Londoners will move to pot 1 and FC Porto will move from pot 3 to pot 2.
Ajax has been definitively sentenced to pot 3. The team from Amsterdam cannot be linked to RB Leipzig, Atalanta, Besiktas, Dinamo Kiev, Club Brugge and AC Milan in the draw. VfL Wolfsburg seems sentenced to pot 4, but could still move to pot 3 if the Champions League is won by Chelsea and the Europa League by Man United. The other places are divided during the preliminary rounds. If PSV survive that, then the Eindhoven players with a coefficient of 29,000 will certainly be in pot 4.