This is what the UEFA national ranking looks like after the Legia Warszawa - Aktobe match

We're entering the new season in 13th place in the national rankings. Our primary goal is to maintain a top-15 finish, which guarantees us five cup berths (including two Champions League qualifiers). You can read more about the benefits of each position and where our current potential lies in this article >>

By defeating Aktobe, Poland gained 0.250 points (1 point for a victory in the qualifying round shared by four teams; importantly, Legia Warszawa did not gain any points for the club ranking, because there the only factor that will decide whether they advance to the next round).

This leaves us with 31,250 points. We're less than 2 points behind 12th-place Norway (1,937 points). At the same time, we have a 1,394-point lead over 14th-place Denmark, 1,5000 points over 15th-place Austria, 2,750 points over 16th-place Switzerland, and 4,200 points over 17th-place Scotland.

It's worth noting, however, that we're the only country in the group to field a team in the first qualifying round of any cup. The other countries we compete against will begin their competitions later.

This, however, could work to our advantage: provided our teams win as many matches as possible, including in the early stages of the qualifying rounds. Victories against Aktobe (for which we receive 0.250 points) count the same as victories against stronger opponents, for example, in the fourth round of qualifying.

That's why it's so important that Legia not only advances but also wins in the second leg next week. If they advance, they will face Baník Ostrava in the second round of the Europa League qualifiers. If they lose, they will face Sparta Prague in the second round of the Conference League qualifiers.