Portugal has 69,666 points and has three of the five teams in action in the round of 16 of the continental competitions, while the Netherlands are seventh, with 67,345, and only have AZ Alkmaar in the same round of the Conference League, after the withdrawal of the other five representatives.
Not even winning the third UEFA club competition with just victories by AZ would allow the Dutch to overcome the Portuguese, who have an insurmountable 2,321 points lead over their pursuers and 7,816 against Belgium, eighth and now only with Genk in the Europa League.
With 9,395 points in 2025/26, the Netherlands currently occupy 14th place on the list of federations with the best performance in European competitions this season, against 17,000 for Portugal, which completes the top 5.
Two years in advance, the Portuguese fulfilled the plan outlined at the beginning of the season by the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), in the so-called “Goal 2028” plan, taking place in parallel with the process of centralizing audiovisual rights for games in the I and II Leagues.
Despite starting the league stages at a disadvantage against the Netherlands, in terms of coefficient (minus 4,400 points) and number of teams (four against six), Portugal recovered in the UEFA rankings with the help of Sporting and Benfica in the Champions League and FC Porto and Sporting de Braga in the Europa League, after Santa Clara’s elimination against Irish side Shamrock Rovers in the preliminary play-off of the Conference League.
Two-time Portuguese champion Sporting was seventh in the ‘Champions’ league phase and avoided the play-off, directly accessing the ‘eighth’, in which they lost away to the Norwegians of Bodo/Glimt (3-0), on Wednesday, in the first leg.
Having been eliminated in the play-offs, Benfica conceded to Real Madrid, the record holder for most wins (15), against whom they had secured 24th place in the eighth and final round of the league phase, the final entry into the knockout stages.
FC Porto and Sporting de Braga automatically reached the round of 16 of the Europa League, which started today, and face Stuttgart and the Hungarians Ferencváros, after finishing fifth and sixth in the league phase, respectively.
As for the Netherlands, two-time national champion PSV Eindhoven and Ajax conceded in the main round of the Champions League, like Go Ahead Eagles, Feyenoord and Utrecht in the Europa League, while AZ Alkmaar needed the play-offs to reach the ‘eighth’ of the Conference League.
Combining league and knockout phases, Portuguese teams have already recorded 19 wins, five draws and 12 defeats in 36 games (54-42 in goal difference), while their Dutch counterparts have only achieved 13 victories in 49 matches, also registering five draws and 31 setbacks (59-90).
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