Norway and Denmark are climbing the UEFA rankings and are at 14. and 15th place. The situation is worse for Sweden, which is at 25. while Finland is even further behind at 34th place. space. This means that Norway could soon have two teams qualifying for the Champions League, making the future bright for Norwegian football.
The elite series continues to climb
Norway’s highest football league continues to climb as Norwegian clubs have done well in European play in recent years. The 2023/24 season is no exception. When the Europa Conference League enters the playoffs, both Molde and Bodø/Glimt are qualified. This means that there are even more opportunities for these clubs to collect points for the Norwegian ranking.
The Norwegian league currently has 29,875 points over the last five seasons. And there are good opportunities to climb even further up the rankings if Molde and Bodø/Glimt can progress further in the tournament. The ranking is based on the last five years, which means that next season the points from 2019/20 will disappear. It is Norway’s weakest year in this period, which means that a successful 2024/25 season could see our nation climb further up the rankings.
Denmark is also going strong
Norway is 1.6 points behind Denmark, which has also had a good season in European football. FC Copenhagen have done best of all, advancing to the Champions League playoffs. However, only FCK can continue to collect points for the Danish Superliga.
Other Danish clubs were knocked out in the group stage, leaving only FCK in the playoffs. Since they face Manchester City, there will probably be no more points for Denmark this season in Europe. But with a good position ahead of next season, things are looking up for Danish football.
Sweden is struggling
Those who follow Swedish football and engage in Swedish betting are having a tough time. The Swedish nation has plummeted in the rankings and the Swedish teams are failing to perform. BK Häcken were the only Swedish team in Europe this season, losing all six of their group stage matches.
Sweden is currently at 25. place in the UEFA rankings, and the countries behind still have a chance to pass as they have teams left in European play. Next season will be important for Swedish football, and they need success in European play to move up the rankings.
Finland is at 30. space
The Finnish league has climbed the rankings, but is still the worst of the Nordic countries, apart from Iceland. Finland usually only has HJK Helsinki in the group stage of European tournaments. This year, too, but Helsinki is out, so there will be no more points for the Finnish league this season.
The only chance for Finland to climb is if they start getting more teams in the European group stage in addition to Helsinki. But so far, neither team has come close. Could this change in the future?
