UEFA Coefficient Roundup: Matchday 4

Last week saw the fourth week of league phase play occur, and the second with all three UEFA club competitions taking place at the same time. It was a significant one, as another battle came to a close in the UEFA coefficient rankings. There were also some significant changes in the seasonal ranking, while a few nations went up, or down, the five-year standings.

So, who were some of the winners, and who were the losers? The latest UEFA coefficient roundup after the fourth week of league phase play.

European Performance Spot: Low Countries Impress

As always, we begin with the seasonal ranking, which awards an extra Champions League berth for the top two ranked nations. Most of the top nations had pretty average weeks. England stay top with their 1.333 points collected, but now Germany join them in the top two. Spain are up to third after a rather average round.

England's record of 19-5-4 at this point is very strong, and has them rightly in front. It is quite hard to see anyone else stopping them from finishing top for the third year in a row. However, it does feel like there will be another intense race for that second EPS. Portugal had a disappointing week, earning 0.800 points. Of the current top 10 in the seasonal ranking, just three nations added less than a point. It will be a matter of recovering so they can continue to build on their wonderful 2025/26 season.

Spain and Germany cannot be overly impressed, but it is Italy who arguably had the best week of the lot. All four of their UCL teams, making amends for the week prior. The problem is, they went 0-1-2 on Thursday. Had they even had as much as one victory among their UEL/UECL contingent, it would have been a much better-looking outcome. Still, it is something to build on.

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The three countries outside of the 'Big 5' to impress last week were Türkiye, Belgium, and Netherlands. For the Turks, they went unbeaten from their four sides. In fact, had Fenerbahçe held on for the win - they conceded a late equalizer - they would be second right now. Both Belgium and Netherlands saw all but one of their sides win, adding 1.600 and 1.666 points, respectively. As they both have a full complement of teams in the league phase, things could get very good for either if that form continues.

France had a poor week, collecting just two wins. Only four of their seven clubs currently occupy a knockout round berth in their respective club competitions. That is worrisome, and the poor form saw them drop out of the top 10 in the seasonal ranking. They are already about 1.250 points back of Germany for second, and will have to improve very quickly.

All countries with 6.000 points or more at this points - fittingly, this only applies to the top 10 - can confidently claim to be in the running for an EPS. That is what makes the rest of the league phase so much more interesting to follow from here on.

Battle for Top 10/Top 12: Greece Build On Lead, Danish Disappointment

To the five-year ranking now, where the battles for the top 10/top 12 are getting interesting once again. Türkiye continue to pull clear of Greece for ninth, and could even get close to Netherlands soon. But for Greece it was still a good week, as they increased the gap between them and Czechia for 10th. Norway and Denmark disappointed in their attempts to catch up to Czechia for 12th.

Czechia, Poland, and Denmark all failed to pick up a win this week, which does not help any of their cases. Sure, the Czechs may have moved up to 11th, but seeing they fell further behind Greece, that can only mean so much. To add insult to injury, Sparta Praha lost a direct clash with Olympiakos Piraeus in the UEL. That could have easily been a 0.800-point swing, which would bring the two countries to less than 0.200 points.

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Denmark and Norway have quite a bit of heavy lifting to do if they are to catch Poland for 12th. Collecting less than a point does little to help their case. Both have four teams left, with the Danes having their maximum available clubs. As such, neither of them can be pleased with how last week went. Norway can earn double the points of Poland, while Denmark can earn 2.5 times more. They need to make the most of that while they can.

So, Greece's grip on 10th started to tighten a fair bit, while the Nordic duo failed to capitalize on the Poles. It is easily the most interesting five-year UEFA coefficient battle left, so time will tell as to whether Czechia, Norway, and Denmark can recover.

Battle for 22nd/29th: Romania Build On Lead

The race for 22nd looks like there is something of a divide that is truly starting to form. At the same time, this battle seems to sway from round to round like none other. There were no changes from 22nd down, but a few nations above the line swapped spots.

Austria and Sweden both jumped up a spot thanks to their results, with the former just about certain to wrap up a top 22 place now. The latter are not yet safe, though Mjällby's point in the UECL does help. They, along with Scotland and Romania are still in the most danger of falling out of the top 22.

The good news for Romania is that CS Universitatea Craiova did win, which allowed for them to add some distance between them and the chasing pack. Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Slovakia all saw their teams lose i the UCL, while the same applied for Israel in the UEL. The only country below the Romanians to collect anything were Slovenia, and they are still more than 2.500 points back. Overall, that leaves Romania the happiest of the bunch.

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Croatia and Hungary were the other countries to pick up wins this week, strengthening their chances at remaining in the top 22. Meanwhile, the same can be said for Bulgaria in their hopes of clinching 29th. Thanks to both Levski Sofia and CSKA-Sofia earning results, they are now one more result away from securing a top 29 berth.

For Serbia, Crvena zvezda's draw at home was a missed opportunity, especially since they were ahead for much of the second half. Assuming they finish 21st or better in the league phase, they will require at least six more wins in order to lift Serbia over Russia for 29th. Remember, the latter will receive 4.333 points at season's end, bringing their total to 21.665.

In what is a messy battle, Romania were the clear winners of the past week, with everyone between 23rd and 27th left with regret. Bulgaria can also smile, while Serbia's stress continues to mount.

Battle for 33rd: Bosnia Take Important Step

Perhaps one of the biggest winners of the week in the UEFA coefficient ranking were Bosnia and Herzegovina during the battle for 33rd. Winning a direct clash could prove to be vital come season's end.

With Borac Banja Luka's win over Finland's KuPS Kuopio, the Bosnians are now 34th in the ranking. The gap to them and Armenia is less than 1.500, meaning three more wins will see them jump into 33rd. Latvia are also in a similar boat as Riga FC grabbed another draw. Those two are the biggest threats to Ireland and Armenia in the top 33.

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Finland and Kazakhstan are lagging behind, and do not have much time to turn things around. Neither of their sides are in the top 24 in the UECL - unlike Bosnia and Latvia. That is not promising, and will require a fast response on matchday 3. Another loss right away could do them both in. Unfortunately for the duo, the next opponents are not any easier, so they could be out of this race very soon.

It is Bosnia and Latvia with the pressure on Armenia and Ireland at this rate. The Armenians once again lost in the UEL, and it is quite hard to see where they will get points. As such, the opportunity is there for the two chasers to add some immense pressure by the end of the league phase.

Battle for 50th: Georgia Seal the Deal

The race for 50th is now over after last week, as Iberia 1999's draw at home to Mjällby earned the necessary points for Georgia to pass Northern Ireland for 50th. That will see them have four European places in 2028/29, while the Northern Irish will have only three.

Northern Irish football fans will be disappointed, but they can seldom argue the situation they find themselves in. That UEL third qualifying round tie proved to be decisive, as Larne had the opportunity to guarantee a league phase place at the expense of Iberia 1999. Instead, they fell in extra time. Then, they gave away a two-goal lead in the UECL playoff round - against another direct opponent in Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps - and now their fate is officially sealed.

Georgia, on the other hand, got points from three of their four teams, with the same trio also advancing at least one round in qualifying. They could have even sealed 50th sooner, had Dinamo Tbilisi held onto their lead in UECL Q2. Of Northern Ireland's 1.000 point this season, only 0.125 came from a club not named Larne (a Linfield draw).

So the race for 50th quite early, but will have another intriguing battle next season. Some new names, extra wrinkles, and a lot to keep an eye on next summer.

A Look At Everyone Else

A quick look at the remaining countries not involved in a five-year UEFA coefficient battle. Only one country outside of the top eight claimed a win last time out.

That turned out to be Switzerland, as Lugano impressed in the UECL. Cyprus and Albania also grabbed results, which were very positive. Lithuania, Andorra, and Gibraltar have yet to get off the mark in the Conference League, having suffered consecutive defeats to kick things off.

One thing to note in the top of the rankings: the difference between fifth and sixth is less than 4.000 points, something for France to be worried about. If that gap falls within 3.000 points, a true battle for fifth could ensue. As noted above, neither the French nor Portuguese had a great week, but the former will need to be concerned with how things have gone so far.