The Netherlands has did bad business on Wednesday evening in the coefficient battle with Portugal. The country from Southern Europe has now taken over sixth place in the 2021-26 cycle. ‘We’ have therefore currently lost a second ticket for the competition phase of the Champions League.
Both PSV and Ajax lost in the billion dollar ball on Wednesday evening. Peter Bosz’s team lost at home to Bayern Munich (1-2), while the team from Amsterdam could not make a fist against Olympiacos (1-2). Sporting Portugal won at Athletic Club (2-3) and Benfica defeated Real Madrid (4-2) in a thrilling match. The Portuguese teams therefore finished in the top 24, which means they will continue in the Champions League.
Unlike PSV and Ajax, they can earn even more points in the coefficient battle later this season. In the Europa League, the curtain may also fall for Feyenoord and Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday evening, while FC Utrecht has already been eliminated. The clubs from Portugal in that tournament will continue anyway. In the Conference League, AZ can still gain much-needed coefficient points for the Netherlands.
Portugal receives significant bonuses in the coefficient rankings due to the placement of Sporting and Benfica in the Champions League. The country is now sixth, with 0.937 coefficient points more than the Netherlands. This ranking is decisive for the 2027/28 season. The distribution of European tickets has already been determined for next season. This campaign, the first two places in the Eredivisie are once again good for direct qualification for the competition phase of the Champions League. The number three receives a ticket for the preliminary round of the billion dollar ball. There are also two tickets for the Europa League, one for the competition phase and one for the preliminary round of the Conference League.
The current state of affairs:
|
7 NETHERLANDS |
66,429 |
|
8 Belgium |
59,900 |
