UEFA Coefficient Roundup: Matchday 1

Last week saw the UEFA Champions League proper begin with its exclusive matchweek. Thirty-six teams from 15 countries began their league phase run, producing 16 winning (and losing) sides plus four who claimed a point.

It was also the first week we can truly take a look at the European Performance Spot race in the UEFA coefficient rankings. That will be the main focus of this roundup, now that we have seen start all 54 member associations in earnest this term.

European Performance Spot: England, Germany With Hot Starts

As previously mentioned, there were 15 countries that were in action last week, eight of which have their full complement of teams in a league phase. Seven of them had multiple sides in action as well.

The one thing worth mentioning from the get-go is that this will not be anywhere close to the final standings. We can safely assume that Azerbaijan and Norway will not be the top two come season's end, while Austria and Slovakia will not be in the top 10 either.

To the nations of main focus, England enjoyed a perfect week from their five clubs. Everyone won, with three keeping clean sheets. Having finished top of the single season ranking in each of the last two years, they will have a strong case to finish top once more.

Also having a very strong week was Germany, who saw three of their four teams prevail. Bayern Munich and Stuttgart defeated Norwegian opposition, while Borussia Dortmund won against a direct rival. They narrowly missed out on the second EPS last term, but have had a near-perfect start this time around. Yes, it is early days, but if Bayern and Dortmund can get some help from RB Leipzig and Stuttgart, that could play key this campaign.

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Spain also grabbed three victories, though they also suffered defeats from Villarreal and Atlético Madrid against two of their main competitors. Real Madrid and Real Betis' victories did come against fellow 'Top 5' rivals, which were welcomed. Still, 0.750 points won cannot be seen as a disaster, but it could have been a tad better.

France can be satisfied with their 2-0-1 week, while the same cannot be said for Italy. Como were the only ones to pick up a win as both Inter Milan and Napoli were beaten from Spanish and English opponents, respectively. AS Roma's draw did little to add optimism for the Italian coefficient either. Keep in mind here that no Serie A side got past a quarterfinal last term, something they will not want to repeat this time around.

Portugal got a win from Sporting CP, while PSV's draw was Netherlands' result. The former have already picked up from where they left off, sitting in third spot. Watch out for them this season, as they could be legitimate contenders for a top two spot. The Dutch had a nightmare 2025/26, so they will be wanting a marked improvement.

As for Belgium, the only other country with all their sides in a league phase plus a UCL team, Club Brugge fell at home, which was far from ideal. Their chances of winning an EPS place is very low, but expectations will still be high. After all, they had just three clubs in the league phase in 2025/26, and two of them got through. Surely they will be hoping for a full house on this occasion.

England and Germany were the biggest winners last week, while France can also be happy with their showing. The Europa League exclusive matchweek coming up will also help to paint a picture as to what to expect throughout the campaign.

Battle for 10th/12th: Greece Left Smiling

To the five-year UEFA coefficient ranking, with the only major one to discuss this week being the race for top 10/top 12. Four of the six countries in this race took part, all to mixed results.

Greece can be particularly satisfied with how the week went after AEK Athens gave them a huge 1-0 win. That, coupled with Slavia Praha's late collapse for Czechia, saw them close the gap to 10th spot. They are within a point of Poland, who were idle. All three nations will have two teams in next week's UEL action, where we could see even more changes.

Türkiye strengthened their grip on ninth after Fenerbahçe's draw, while Norway saw both of their teams fall to defeat. It will be an arduous task to catch Poland and claim a top 12 berth, but it is still possible.

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If any of the four countries with UCL teams can end up in the round of 16, that would be massive. That results in 0.300 bonus points right away. We are far away from that stage, but it is certainly something to aspire to. The points that would come through that could be huge in ending up in the top 10 or top 12.

Keep an eye on the UEL results next week as things could look very different in the spots from 10th to 12th.

Battle for 22nd: Ukraine With a Chance?

We end with the battle for 22nd, where four countries saw sides in action. Only one of them avoided defeat, but could Ukraine's draw be the start of something?

Shakhtar Donetsk's stalemate in Eindhoven brought the Ukrainians to 0.538 points off Romania for 22nd spot. That cranks up the pressure on the Romanians, who like Ukraine, have not been phenomenal this term. There are still a few nations below the duo that are also with a shot at passing them. Azerbaijan and Slovakia both lost though, which does make them breathe a little easier.

Austria's LASK were beaten last Tuesday, though they are not in any serious danger at the moment. The UEL is next, which offers the chance to climb up the rankings even further.

Six of the nations in this battle will take the field next week in the Europa League, where we could truly see some points be won. While it is far more difficult to achieve results in the UCL, the UEL offers a more realistic opportunity. Time will tell who will make the most of the chance.