What news! Here's the UEFA national rankings after Polish teams' cup matches.

Poland started this season in 13th place. The minimum goal is to maintain a top-15 finish, which entitles them to field five teams in cup competitions (including two in the Champions League qualifiers). A realistic goal is a 13th or 14th-place finish, which would allow the Polish champions to start in the fourth round of Champions League qualifiers (and therefore guarantee them at least Europa League play).

Eleventh and 12th place would mean that the Polish Cup winner or the third-place team in the league would start the Europa League qualifying round in the fourth round—meaning they would play in at least the Conference League. This is an optimistic scenario, although it is becoming increasingly realistic. You can read more about the benefits of each place and where our ceiling is in this article >>

First of all, Poland gained a whopping 0.250 from 0.625 points in six minutes. First, Legia Warsaw equalized against Banik Ostrava (2-2), and then Jagiellonia Białystok snatched victory against FK Novi Pazar in the final minutes of the match (2-1). These two important away results were followed by an even more peaceful 3-0 victory for Raków Częstochowa against Žilina.

If we add Lech Poznań's Tuesday victory (7:1 against Breidablik) to Thursday's results, we have gained as much as 0.875 points this week.

• 11. Greece 35,612 points (+0,250 points)
• 12. Norway 33,587 points (+0,400 points this week)
• 13. Poland 32.375 points (0.875 points)
• 14. Denmark 30,481 points (+0.625 points)
• 15. Austria 30,350 points (+0,600 points)
• 16. Switzerland 28,800 points (+0,300 points)
• 17. Scotland 27,550 points (+0.625 points)

It wasn't the best week for Greece. Panathinaikos lost 2-0 away to Rangers in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers (league path). On Thursday, Aris lost 2-1 to Araz in the Conference League qualifiers, but they still have a chance to turn the tables in the second leg. AEK's 1-0 home victory over Hapoel Be'er Sheva earned them 0.250 points. The gap to Greece is now 3.237 points. Olympiakos will definitely be in the Champions League this fall.

This is what the top of the UEFA national ranking looks like

We're now only 1,212 points behind 12th-placed Norway. Brann lost 4-1 to Salzburg in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers (league path), though Thursday was a better day for the Norwegians: LK Rosenborg defeated Banga 5-0 in the qualifiers, and Viking thrashed Koper 7-0. Both teams' qualifications are now assured, though we can hope that, given the results of their first matches, both teams will drop points in the second legs, which are merely a formality. We'll definitely see Bodo/Glimt in the cup competition this fall—either in the Champions League or the Europa League.

Our lead over Denmark has increased to 1.894 points. FC Copenhagen may have beaten Drita 2-0 in the Champions League qualifiers, but Midtjylland only managed a 1-1 home draw with Hibernian in the LK qualifiers, Brondby drew 1-1 away with HB Torshavn, and Silkeborg recorded the same result against Iceland's Akureyri (and the winner of this tie will be Jagiellonia Białystok's opponent if they advance). Brondby and Silkeborg's slip-ups, in particular, are major surprises, already costing the Danes 0.250 points. From our perspective, it would be best if the Danish clubs were eliminated as soon as possible.

Austria has had a flawless week. Salzburg defeated Brann 4-1 and is practically guaranteed a place in the Europa League (while still having a chance at the Champions League). In the qualifying round, LK Rapid Wien defeated Decić 2-0 away, and Austria Wien defeated Spaeri 2-0 at home (the winner of this match will face Legia Warsaw if they are eliminated by Banik). Austria gained 0.600 points as a result, as they field five teams in the knockout stages. Poland's advantage is 2.025 points. Sturm Graz (in the Champions League) will definitely be in the knockout stages this fall.

The Swiss may be in a mixed mood. Servette defeated Viktoria Plzen 1-0 away in the Champions League qualifiers and, if they advance, will secure at least the Europa League. However, on Thursday, Lausanne surprisingly lost 1-2 away to Vardar in the Europa League qualifiers, and in the Europa League match, Lugano could only manage a 0-0 draw with CFR Cluj. The result is a 0.300-point gain and a 3.575-point deficit to Poland. That's a significant number, although it's important to remember that the Swiss already have two teams in the league stages—Basel will play in either the Champions League or the Europa League, while Young Boys will play in either the Europa League or the Europa League.

We can also consider the Scots, although they trail Poland by a staggering 4.825 points. Rangers defeated Panathinaikos 2-0 and are close to securing a spot in the Europa League (while still maintaining their Champions League chances). In the Europa League qualifiers, Hibernian surprisingly drew 1-1 away with Midtjylland, and in the Europa League qualifiers, Dundee United narrowly defeated UNA Strassen of Luxembourg 1-0. The Scots — like the Swiss — already have two teams guaranteed a place in the cup competitions this autumn: Celtic in the Europa League or Europa League, and Aberdeen in the Europa League or Europa League.

A distant dream is 10th place, which guarantees direct qualification to the Champions League for the Polish champions. This position is occupied by the Czechs (38,800 points), who have a 6,425-point lead over Poland. The previously mentioned Viktoria lost 0-1 to Servette in the Champions League qualifiers, Banik drew 2-2 with Legia, and Sparta Prague unexpectedly lost 1-2 away to Aktobe in the Champions League qualifiers. And Sparta's eventual elimination would be very good news for us—though there will still be a significant gap to cover.

In the autumn we will definitely see Slavia Prague (LM) and Sigma Olomouc (LE or LK) in the cups.

To climb the rankings, we should aim for at least three teams to advance to the league stages. Lech Poznań is already close to achieving this, as eliminating Breidablik (7-1 in the first leg) will secure at least LK. Crvena Zvezda (1-0 away to Lincoln Red Imps) will likely face them in the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.

It's crucial to see if Legia manages to eliminate Banik at home after their 2-2 draw in Ostrava. If they advance, they'll face either NK Celje or AEK Larnaca (1-1) in the third round of the Europa League qualifiers. A defeat will likely mean they have to play Austria Wien in the Europa League qualifiers (2-0 against Spaeri).

Raków Częstochowa (3-0 vs. Žilina) is very close to advancing, and could face the winner of Torpedo Zhodzina vs. Maccabi Haifa (1-1) in the next round. Importantly, we should be keen on the theoretically stronger Maccabi advancing, because then the Raków vs. Maccabi pairing would be seeded in the draw for the fourth, decisive round of the Champions League qualifiers. Otherwise, even if Raków were to advance to the fourth round, they could face a much stronger opponent than Maccabi.

Jagiellonia Białystok is close to advancing after a 2-1 victory over FK Novi Pazar. Their opponent will be the winner of the Silkeborg-Akureyri (1-1). And with Silkeborg potentially advancing, such a two-legged tie would take on an additional dimension, as Poland and Denmark are separated by less than two points.

Lech will play the return leg on Wednesday at 8:30 PM. On Thursday, Jagiellonia will kick off at 8:15 PM, Raków at 8:30 PM, and Legia at 9:00 PM. In the case of Lech and Raków, whose qualification is certain, it's crucial that both teams win their return legs as well (the difference between a draw and a win is 0.125 points)—the same applies to Jagiellonia. As for Legia, which faces by far the toughest opponent, simply advancing is paramount.