Croatia One Step Away from 20th Place
Dinamo's new victory brought Croatia 0.250 points on the UEFA rankings, closing the gap to Scotland to just 0.269 points. Hajduk and Rijeka have the chance today to further improve the coefficient.
Dinamo's new victory brought Croatia 0.250 points on the UEFA rankings, closing the gap to Scotland to just 0.269 points. Hajduk and Rijeka have the chance today to further improve the coefficient.
Dinamo's advancement to the Champions League play-offs is not only a great success for the club from Maksimir, but also a significant contribution to Croatian club football as a whole. The 2:1 victory in Lithuania against Kauno Žalgiris, for a total of 7:1 over two legs, brought Croatia 0.250 new points on the UEFA national coefficient rankings.
Although this points influx was not enough for an immediate jump from 21st place, Croatia has dangerously closed in on Scotland, which holds the 20th position. The gap now stands at just 0.269 points, a difference that Hajduk's and Rijeka's successes could significantly reduce or even erase today.
The position on the UEFA rankings directly determines the starting positions of Croatian clubs in European competitions. Currently, 21st place means that the club qualifying for the Europa League starts from the first qualifying round. Moving up to 20th place would secure a spot in the second qualifying round of the Europa League, a significant advantage.
It is equally important to watch the lower end. Dropping to 23rd place would mean that the SHNL champion starts the Champions League qualifiers from the second qualifying round, while 24th place would mean starting from the first qualifying round. On the other side, 15th place would bring five Croatian representatives in Europe, with two in the Champions League qualifiers.
It should be noted that this season's results will affect starting positions only for the 2028/29 season. For the upcoming 2027/28 season, the rankings from the end of last season apply, when Croatia was 20th, meaning that the Cup winner next season will start from the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Dinamo's victory was the fifth consecutive win for Croatian clubs in Europe this season. In Lithuania, Lukas Kačavenda and Josip Mišić scored for the Blues, while Gabriel Debeljuh scored a consolation goal for the hosts. Dinamo played with a man down from the 33rd minute after Ivan Filipović was sent off, but that did not jeopardize the win and advancement to the play-offs, where they will face Norwegian side Viking at Maksimir on August 18.
Hajduk and Rijeka have the chance to further boost the coefficient today in the return legs of the Conference League third qualifying round. Hajduk hosts Žalgiris at Poljud at 9 PM with a commanding 5:2 lead from the first leg in Lithuania, while Rijeka defends a 1:0 advantage against Ilves in Finland. Looking only at this season's performance, Croatia jumped four places after Dinamo's win and now holds an excellent 11th position.
"We know what's next 🙌💙," Dinamo posted on social media after securing the play-off spot. "Let's go for the Champions League together! 💙✨," the club's statement reads, announcing the match against Viking.
