For the first time in thirteen years, the Netherlands will also enter the group stage of the tournaments with all European participants who started the season. Thanks to this almost unique performance, the Netherlands keeps its dream alive in sixth place in the coefficient ranking, and with it two direct tickets for the Champions League. That dream will not become a reality overnight, but rather should be seen as a long-term project.
Thanks to the good performances of the previous season, the Netherlands started this year firmly in seventh place in the five-year UEFA ranking. The gap with Portugal and France is still huge at the moment, but it certainly doesn’t have to stay that way. Next year, the dramatic score for the Netherlands from the 2017/18 season will be lost in the count and the country will take a giant step forward. This season, the Netherlands should be considered able to set a top score again, and then Portugal and France can suddenly come close.
The coefficient ranking as of August 26
| COUNTRY | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21 | 21/22 | TOTAL | ACTIVE TEAMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. England | 20.071 | 22.642 | 18,571 | 24,357 | 2,428 | 88.069 | 7/7 |
| 2. Spain | 19.714 | 19.571 | 18,928 | 19,500 | 2,857 | 80,570 | 7/7 |
| 3. Italy | 17,333 | 12.642 | 14,928 | 16.285 | 2,517 | 63.759 | 7/7 |
| 4. Germany | 9.857 | 15.214 | 18,714 | 15.214 | 2,500 | 61,499 | 7/7 |
| 5. Portugal | 9.666 | 10,900 | 10,300 | 9,600 | 3,750 | 44.216 | 4/6 |
| 6. France | 11,500 | 10,583 | 11,666 | 7,916 | 2.083 | 43.748 | 6/6 |
| 7. The Netherlands | 2,900 | 8,600 | 9,400 | 9,200 | 3,400 | 33,500 | 5/5 |
| 8. Austria | 9,750 | 6,200 | 5,800 | 6,700 | 3,200 | 31,650 | 4/5 |
| 9. Scotland | 4,000 | 6.750 | 9,750 | 8,500 | 2,300 | 31,300 | 2/5 |
| 10. Russia | 12,600 | 7,583 | 4.666 | 4.333 | 1,500 | 30,682 | 3/5 |
| 11. Ukraine | 8,000 | 5,600 | 7,200 | 6,800 | 2,600 | 30,200 | 3/5 |
| 12. Serbia | 6.375 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 5,500 | 3,000 | 26.875 | 2/4 |
| 13. Belgium | 2,600 | 7,800 | 7,600 | 6,000 | 2,200 | 26,200 | 4/5 |
All points achieved by a country are divided by the number of participants who started the season and in that context, the Netherlands is taking a big step compared to Portugal, because the Netherlands is left with five of the five participants (Ajax, PSV, AZ, Vitesse and Feyenoord). , while the Portuguese has to make do with four of the six participants in the group stage: Paços de Ferreira and Santa Clara were eliminated on Thursday. France will retain six of the six participants and will probably make up for its minimal deficit with Portugal, which is why the latter country should probably become the target for the Netherlands.
Number seven Netherlands does not have to look back for the time being, because the competition in the rear has been put at a great disadvantage and, moreover, does not take all its clubs to the group stage. Number eight Austria is the most dangerous with four of its five participants, but is almost two coefficient points behind, a considerable gap. Furthermore, Scotland (2 out of 5 clubs left), Russia (3 out of 5), Ukraine (2 out of 5), Serbia (2 out of 4) and Belgium (4 out of 5) will not come close for the time being.
Ticket distribution
| TOURNAMENT | Place 6 | Place 7, 8 and 9 | Spot 10 | Seat 11* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions League | 2x direct, 1x Q3 | 1x direct, 1x Q3 | 1x direct, 1x Q2 | 1x direct, 1x Q2 |
| Europa League | 1x direct | 1x playoffs | 1x playoffs | 1x playoffs |
| Conference League | 1x Q3, 1x Q2 | 1x Q3, 1x Q2 | 1x Q3, 1x Q2 | 2x Q2 |
* The ticket distribution for place 11 applies if the Champions League winner directly qualifies for the same tournament via their own competition.
It is good to mention that it is a loss for AZ sportingly and financially that the club descends to the Conference League, but in terms of coefficients that does not have to be a problem. Wins and draws yield just as much in the third tournament as in the Europa League, while AZ probably gets less resistance in the Conference League. There are, however, slightly more bonus points in the Europa League for winning the group and for reaching the final rounds after the winter break.