The first European week of 2022 is over. In the coefficient ranking, the Netherlands has been engaged in a fierce battle with Portugal all season, which again suffered minor damage this week due to poor results. Nothing has been decided yet and a lot will depend on the Champions League smasher between Benfica and Ajax, whose first leg is scheduled for next Wednesday.
What’s at stake again? The Netherlands competes with Portugal for two direct Champions League tickets for the 2024/25 season. Portugal seemed assured of those starting tickets for a long time, but the Netherlands is making a gigantic advance. The tickets are distributed on the basis of the coefficient ranking, for which clubs in the European tournaments collect points. The finish line is at the end of the 2022/23 season, so the tickets can only be obtained definitively in a year’s time. For the current season, the backlog is too big to catch up with Portugal. The country that occupies sixth place at the end of May 2022, takes the coveted group stage tickets for 2024. The Netherlands already virtually occupies that required sixth place (see score as of 01/07/2022 in the table) and has a lead of 1.3 points over Portugal.
The coefficient ranking as of 17-02-2022
| COUNTRY | CURRENT SCORE | SCORE AS OF 01/07/’22 | ACTIVE TEAMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. France | 56,748 (+0.666) | 45.248 | 6/6 |
| 6. Portugal | 50.382 (+0.333) | 40.716 | 4/6 |
| 7. Netherlands | 44,900 (+0,400) | 42,000 | 5/5 |
| 8. Austria | 38.450 (+0.400) | 28,700 | 3/5 |
| 9. Scotland | 34,500 (+0,400) | 30,500 | 2/5 |
| 10. Russia | 34.282 (+0) | 21.682 | 2/5 |
The Netherlands kicked off this week with only two of the five remaining European participants: PSV achieved 0.4 coefficient point for the Netherlands by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv (1-0), while Vitesse went down at Rapid Wien (2-1) . The Portuguese entered with three of the four remaining clubs in Europe and could therefore have walked away from the Netherlands. That did not happen, because only FC Porto managed to win (2-1 against Lazio). That gives Portugal 0.333 points this week.
Where Vitesse still has the prospect of reaching the next round of the Conference League, the Portuguese will now be concerned. Sporting Portugal has no chance in the Champions League after the 0-5 punishment against Manchester City, while Sporting Braga is also in bad shape in the Europa League after a 2-0 defeat against Sheriff Tiraspol. The Netherlands can give Portugal a sledgehammer if Ajax manages to deal with Benfica. If the Netherlands manages to advance in Europe with many more clubs than Portugal, the difference can increase enormously in the final phase of the season.
Points achieved this round for the country
| COUNTRY | SCORE | SCORE PER CLUB |
|---|---|---|
| France | +0.666 | PSG +0.333 | Marseille +0.333 | Lille | Lyon | Rennes | Monaco |
| Portugal | +0.333 | Sporting Portugal +0 | FC Porto +0.333 | Sporting Braga +0 | Benfica |
| The Netherlands | +0.400 | † PSV +0.400 | Speed +0 | Ajax | AZ | Feyenoord | |
| Austria | +0.400 | Rapid Vienna +0.4 | RB Salzburg | LASK | Sturm Graz |
| Scotland | +0.400 | Rangers +0.4 | Celtic +0 |
| Russia | +0 | Zenit +0 | Lokomotiv Moscow | Spartak Moscow |
Which place is good for which tickets?
| PLACE | CL TICKETS | EL TICKETS | COL TICKETS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 4 direct | 2 direct | 1 preliminary round |
| 5 | 2 direct, 1 preliminary round | 2 direct | 1 preliminary round |
| 6 | 2 direct, 1 preliminary round | 1 direct | 2 preliminary round |
| 7 to 10 | 1 direct, 1 preliminary round | 1 preliminary round | 2 preliminary round |
| 11 to 15 | 2 preliminary round | 1 preliminary round | 2 preliminary round |
| 16 to 50 | 1 preliminary round | 0 | 3 preliminary round |
| 51 to 55 | 1 preliminary round | 0 | 2 preliminary round |
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