Monday, May 29, 2023 at 8:55 PM• Rian Rosendaal

Ajax normally starts the new season in the play-offs of the Europa League. However, there is a possibility that the team of trainer John Heitinga will immediately qualify for the second European tournament. Ajax depends on the performance of AS Roma in the last week of this season. José Mourinho’s team will face Sevilla in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday evening.

Because Roma on Wednesday from Seville, then it immediately qualifies for the group stage of the Champions League. That in turn can have a positive influence on how Ajax will enter, although that again depends on the result of i Giallorossi on the final day of Serie A. The current sixth place is good for a ticket for the group stage of the Europa League. If the sixth place is retained and the Europa League is conquered on Wednesday, the Roman club will have two European tickets.

UEFA has drawn up a clear protocol for such a situation. A club with two European tickets, in this case Roma, keeps the highest ticket, the one for the group stage of the Champions League. In that case, the ticket for the Europa League will be transferred. That ticket then goes to the cup winner of the seventh country on the UEFA coefficient list. This concerns the Eredivisie and PSV. The people of Eindhoven finished second and enter the preliminary round of the Champions League, which means that ticket is passed on to number three Ajax.

This means that if Roma wins the Europa League and finishes sixth in Serie A, the European starting ticket of Mourinho and associates from the competition will be in the hands of Ajax. This allows Ajax to skip the play-offs and focus on the group stage of the Europa League. If this scenario does not materialize, the Amsterdam club will take part in the play-offs for the Europa League on August 24 and 31. If that diptych is not won, the course to the Conference League will follow.