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UEFA Women's Coefficient Review: Qualifying Week 6
A look at the UEFA women's coefficient battles for the 2026/27 season after the sixth week of qualifying.
Last week saw the end of the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifiers as well as the beginning of the second UEFA Women's Europa Cup. A dozen sides were eliminated from Europe altogether, while nine saw their UWCL hopes come to an end.
The other major note from last week are the outcomes in the UEFA women's coefficient rankings, as we have a clearer picture of who is fighting for what at this stage. With that in mind, here is a look at where thing stand after six matchdays of play.
Battle for 24th/28th: Belarus Stay Alive
We begin at the bottom part of the ranking, where just six countries have teams left in Europe. No one in this battle have more than one club left either, which further adds to the intrigue.
Among the winners of the week, Ukraine have to be the happiest of the lot. That is despite losing two teams. FC Kharkiv's win ensured they are represented in the Women's Europa Cup second qualifying round. The likelihood of them ending up in the top 24 is very high now, given the gap.
Romania lost their runners up, but cling onto hope of cracking the top 24. It all comes down to Farul Constanța and what they can do from here. Progression to the round of 16 will propel them up the rankings, given the bonus points at hand.
While Slovakia, Finland, and Kazakhstan were all idle, Belarus kept their hopes alive thanks to FC Minsk, who eliminated Hajduk Split. In the process, Croatia's season came to an end due to their other team also being knocked out. There is still a long way to go in order for the Belorussians to claim 28th spot, but they are still fighting, which is the most crucial part at this point of the season.
Several nations saw their clubs' continental journeys come to an end. Only two of those five - Cyprus and Croatia - picked up any points. The former can be relieved that Apollon Limassol earned a win, otherwise, the chances of taking 28th would be next to nonexistent. Croatia also moved up, but that means little seeing they will finish the year no higher than 34th.
One really important note here is that Russia are still set to be assigned 1.750 coefficient points for this season despite their clubs being banned. For now, that will put them up to 25th place. With that said, they can drop to as low as 30th, depending on what transpires in the Women's Europa Cup.
As we head into UWEC Q2, Romania and Slovakia will be attacking those last two places in the top 24, with the latter trying to solidify 28th place. Croatia, Belarus, and Kazakstan have the difficult task of climbing up the rankings, with 28th on the line.
Battle for 13th/17th: Swiss, Danes Celebrate
There was quite the turn of events in the UEFA women's coefficient rankings when it came to the race for top 13/top 17. One nation is already eliminated, while another two earned some huge bonus points.
Switzerland and Denmark will be represented in the UWCL league phase thanks to Servette and HB Køge, with the former knocking off direct competition in Czechia's Sparta Praha. The reward for the duo is a solid lead for 13th place. Realistically, these three countries are the only ones left fighting for 13th. The gap from Czechia to Iceland in 15th is incredibly high, even if UWEC bonus points are to be considered.
Of course, the other thing worth noting is that both Switzerland and Denmark are guaranteed at least six matches in the UWCL, which are worth valuable points. In addition, Køge and Servette will meet in the league phase, which could prove decisive here. Czechia, on the other hand, are only assured four more games, two for each of their sides. Making the round of 16 of the UWEC will be absolutely vital.
Five countries are left competing for the last three places in the top 17. Iceland and Türkiye are in the strongest position, holding a lead of 2.500 over Poland and Greece. Scotland will have the challenge of trying to hold on for 17th. There is a really important tie in UWEC Q2, with Breiðablik facing Czarni Sosnowiec.
The other thing about this race that makes things even more fascinating is the fact there is no more room for error. Lose the tie, and that team is out. This adds a special element to this race, with added stakes at play.
Slovenia are out of Europe following the elimination of Radomlje. It is a disastrous year for them, as they started the year in the top 17, only to end it outside of it. They will have only one team in the UWCL, and can be fortunate that they will still have multiple teams in Europe come 2028/29.
Battle for Sixth/Seventh: Dutch Lose Out
Next is the battle for places sixth and seventh in the rankings, where both Portugal and Netherlands have their full complement of teams in Europe still. There is just one problem, at least for the Dutch: no bonus points in the UWCL.
Ajax and PSV failed to turn their UWCL ties around, meaning they join Feyenoord in the UWEC. The good news is that the Rotterdam club managed to overcome Anderlecht to remain in Europe. That is certainly welcomed from a Dutch perspective. However, earning no UWCL bonus points has to be seen as a lost opportunity, as they could have well and truly made up the ground on Sweden.
Portugal's Torreense completed their UWEC Q1 win, adding another 0.333 points. Given the advantaged they accrued from the first leg, there is no surprise there. The hard work truly begins in the second round of qualifying though.
Sweden will look at this summer as a missed opportunity, seeing neither Hammarby nor Malmö could make UWCL Q3. That resulted in up to four extra matches gone. Sporting also lost out on the chance of an additional two games for Portugal, while Torreense were forced into do-or-die clashes very early on. While the duo have a big advantage over the Dutch for now, that lead could still evaporate.
A total of seven teams from the three countries are in the UWEC second qualifying round. None of them will face each other yet, so all of them will desperately want to move forward. After all, there are bonus points on the table. That is something Sweden and Netherlands will require if they are to have any chance of moving up a spot in the rankings.
Battle for 2nd: France Left Celebrating
The last battle in the five-year UEFA women's coefficient rankings will be the one for second spot, and France suddenly have the upper hand after last week's results.
Paris Saint-Germain prevailed in their UWCL tie, joining OL Lyonnes and Paris FC in the league phase. Meanwhile, Spain saw Real Sociedad drop to the UWEC, with Real Madrid getting over the line against Ajax. That allowed the French to close the gap to under 5.000 points, while Sociedad are now left playing two-legged ties only.
As of right now, France are assured at least 18 more games in Europe this term versus Spain's 14. That is pretty significant when also considering the bonus points on offer. The Spaniards may be relieved to have the buffer for now, but a poor league phase showing could see that lead evaporate quite easily.
With the first two matchdays of the UWCL league phase and the UWEC Q2 ties to take place before the end of the month, it will be worth watching who manages to get what for their nations. Spain could be down a team before the end of the month, which would make the rest of the league phase all the more intriguing.
A Look at Everyone Else
Now that the UWCL qualifiers are over, we finally have a full view of which countries are not competing for a spot of importance in the coefficient rankings.
It was already established that England, Italy, and Norway would not be competing for anything of note in the rankings this year. The Norwegians saw Brann drop out of the UWCL, ending any glimmer of hope for seventh spot. All three of their teams are left in the UWEC.
England and Italy both enjoyed great success last week, as they, along with France, will have three league phase teams. That bodes well for them in the future, as those added bonus points go a long way to maintaining - or in Italy's case, increasing - their ranking.
Any hope of third spot for Germany ended in disaster last week, as both Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt lost in UWCL Q3. The result is a gap of nearly eight points between them and France, making it nearly impossible for them to make up the lost ground this term. Frankfurt's defeat to PSG hurt in particular, seeing it was a direct battle.
Belgium and Austria won the necessary bonus points to wrap up a top 13 spot. Both will want to end the year in the top 10, though that may be more difficult for the Belgians due to losing Anderlecht. As for Bosnia, their European season is done. The 10.000 points they currently own will be enough for top 24, but they can no longer chase 17th due to Sarajevo being ousted. Still, it was a decent year for them.
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