The victory over Kauno Žalgiris not only secured a spot in the Champions League play-offs but also made a valuable contribution to UEFA's coefficient. Croatia now sits in 21st place, with the gap to 20th-placed Scotland reduced to 0.269 points.
Dinamo's latest victory in European qualifying is not just a sporting headline for the Blues' fans, but also a significant boost for Croatian club football as a whole. With a 2:1 win in the second leg of the Champions League third qualifying round against Kauno Žalgiris, the Zagreb club secured a place in the play-offs and earned Croatia an additional 0.250 points on UEFA's national coefficient rankings.
Despite being reduced to ten men from the 32nd minute after goalkeeper Ivan Filipović was shown a red card, the Blues secured an aggregate 7:1 victory and progression thanks to goals from Lukas Kačavenda and Josip Mišić. The Lithuanian side's goal came from Gabriel Debeljuh, but it couldn't threaten Dinamo's emphatic passage. In the play-offs, they now face Norwegian side Viking, with the first leg scheduled for Tuesday, August 18 at 9 PM at Maksimir.
The new points didn't result in an immediate jump in the rankings, but they further reduced the difference to the countries ahead of Croatia. We currently sit in 21st place with a coefficient of 24.781, and we're now only 0.269 points behind 20th-placed Scotland, who have 25.050 points. Austria and Sweden are also ahead of Croatia, while Romania, with 24.500 points, is the closest chaser. This ranking directly determines the number and starting positions of Croatian clubs in European competitions.
It's important to note that points from the current season won't count until the 2028/29 campaign. However, for the 2027/28 season, Croatia has already secured a more favorable position thanks to its 20th-place finish in 2025/26, meaning our representative in the Europa League qualifiers next summer will start directly from the second qualifying round.
Looking only at the current European season 2026/27, Croatia stands even more impressively. According to data from the specialized portal Football Meets Data, Croatia ranks a high 11th place in the one-year coefficient with 2.625 points earned so far. This is a better performance than many nations that have been ahead for years on the five-year ranking, with only football powerhouses like England, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands ahead of Croatia. This result is a clear indicator of how successful Croatian clubs have been on the European stage this season.
The next target for Croatia is to break into the top 20 nations. That position allows the cup winner or the second-placed team to start in the Europa League qualifiers from the second round instead of the first. An even bigger leap comes with 15th place, which guarantees a total of five representatives in Europe, with two in the Champions League qualifiers.
On the other hand, it's crucial not to drop in the rankings. Position 23 sends the champions to the second qualifying round of the Champions League, while 24th place means starting from the first qualifying round, which would significantly complicate the path to the elite competition. Croatia was particularly worried about dropping to that 24th spot this season, but that scenario has now been avoided, opening up room for further progress.
New opportunities to boost the coefficient are coming quickly. Already on Thursday, the remaining two Croatian representatives take to the field. Hajduk hosts Žalgiris at Poljud at 9 PM, defending a big 5:2 lead from the first leg of the Conference League third qualifying round. On the same day, Rijeka travels to Finnish side Ilves with a narrow 1:0 advantage from the first match.
Each win in qualifying brings 0.250 points to the national coefficient, while a draw is worth 0.125 points. If both clubs were to triumph, Croatia could add another 0.500 points to its tally in just one day. Any slip-ups by Scottish or Austrian clubs would further open the door for progress in the rankings.
Dinamo, meanwhile, has already secured European football this autumn. Even if they don't get past Viking in the Champions League play-offs, the Blues will continue in the Europa League league phase, which brings additional opportunities to earn points throughout the season.
Dinamo has already announced all the details about ticket sales for the play-off against Viking via social media. Pre-sale for club members starts on Wednesday, August 12 at 11 AM and runs until Thursday, August 13 at 11:59 PM. General sale begins on Friday, August 14 at 11 AM.
Individual ticket prices range from €12 for the North lower tier (exclusively for members), €18 for the West upper tier for members, up to €28 for the West lower tier for other fans. Season ticket holders can transfer their seats via the online service until Tuesday, August 18 at 12 PM.
"Let's go for the Champions League together! 💙✨", the club said in a post announcing the sale dates, adding in a separate post: "We know what's next 🙌💙".
