Portugal are the third best performing nation in European competition this season behind Spain and… Liechtenstein
The exploits of Portuguese clubs in the Champions League and Europa competitions has made Portugal one of the best performing nations in Europe this season, with only Spain and Liechtenstein having recorded a higher number of UEFA Coefficient points so far this campaign.
Portugal’s coefficient value of 5.333 is only just short of Spain’s 5.577, and is even closer to Liechtenstein’s 5.500.
Liechtenstein’s unlikely rise to 2nd best performing nation in European competition is thanks to the exploits of their sole representative, FC Vaduz, who play in the Swiss second division but qualified for the Europa Conference League qualifiers thanks to their victory in the Liechtenstein Cup. Having beaten Koper, Konyaspor and Rapid Wien in the qualifiers, the minnows advanced to the group stage of a UEFA competition for the very first time, where they have even already earned a point against Cypriot outfit Apollon Limassol.
Portugal, meanwhile, have performed admirably thanks to Sporting, Benfica and Braga collectively winning all six of their Champions League and Europa League games so far this campaign. Only FC Porto, who have lost both of their group stage games so far, are struggling.
Despite Portugal having such a strong collective European campaign so far, the Primeira Liga is still only ranked as the 7th most reputable league in the continent, having been overtaken by the Netherlands in the UEFA Coefficient standings.
The nation that is home to the Eredivisie have currently earned 4.500 coefficient points this season, with a score of 50.900 overall, with Portugal nearly 2.000 points behind in total, standing on 49.049. A strong European adventure from Portugal’s representatives is therefore required to retain the chance to have 3 Champions League slots from the 2024-25 season.
Matheus Reis. Photo author: RickMorais. License link.
