UEFA RANKING: Netherlands overtake Portugal for next season
Portugal is still ahead of the Netherlands in the current UEFA Ranking, No. 6, but the results of this European journey had a clear impact on the projection of next season’s ranking. The Dutch now have an advantage over the Portuguese and can start the season in 6th position.
Let’s do it by steps.
The four Portuguese clubs added eight points in this European journey, largely because of Sporting, which guaranteed the qualification for the last 16 of the final of the Champions League (two points for victory, five for qualification). Benfica secured a point with the draw in Barcelona, while FC Porto and Sp. Braga, this one in the Europa League, lost.
The five teams from the Netherlands won 11 points and continues to approach Portugal in the current ranking. Ajax scored two points in the Champions League, PSV Eindhoven scored two points in the Europa League and the big difference is in the Conference League, where the three Dutch representatives continue to garner good results.
Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar tied (one point each) but already secured first place in their respective groups (two points each). Finally, Vitesse secured a point for equality.
As you know, the Netherlands still have the five teams in the competition, so they divide the score by five. Portugal has only four to play – of the six that started at the time – and divides the score by six.
Thus, in the current Ranking, Portugal still retains sixth place (48,382 points against 42,700).
However, Portugal is now at a disadvantage for next season’s Ranking.
Are we going to ignore a Dutch threat to Portuguese football?
This scenario is not definitive and can be changed in the final round of the group stages, where there is, for example, a confrontation between representatives of the two countries (Ajax-Sporting).
For the next season’s Ranking, which has practical effects in the European competitions of the 2023/24 season, the Netherlands are already at an advantage for sixth place. (39,800 points against 38,716), relegating Portugal to the seventh position.
Why is this happening?
As the ranking is done for five years, the 2017/18 season will no longer count in the next season. Thus, the Dutch ‘throw away’ their worst performance in this five-year period (2,900 points against 9,666 for Portugal).
After all, Portuguese clubs need to quickly change this scenario, otherwise they will lose the right to have three Portuguese representatives in the 2023/24 Champions League.
It remains to be noted that the distance to fifth place, occupied by France, has also increased this season (11,916 points for the French in 2021/22, against 7,916 for the Portuguese).