Croatia leaps up UEFA rankings after strong European club performances

Croatian football clubs are making significant strides in European competitions, leading to a notable jump in the country's UEFA national coefficient ranking. Following recent victories by Hajduk and Rijeka in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, Croatia has climbed to 21st place, overtaking Romania.

This ascent is crucial for the Croatian First Football League (HNL). The 21st position ensures that the league champion will begin their Champions League qualifying campaign from the second preliminary round. A drop to 24th place would have meant starting from the first preliminary round, a scenario Croatia has now moved three positions away from.

Each win in these qualifying matches earns one point, which is then divided by the number of clubs that started the season. With Croatia beginning with four representatives, the three recent victories contributed 0.750 points to their total. This performance places Croatia as the third most successful nation in terms of points gained this week, behind Denmark and Switzerland, who achieved four wins and three wins with one draw, respectively.