Was It Worth It for Ararat-Armenia to Reach the Europa League? Armenia's European Qualification Spot Is Now at Risk

Armenia could lose one of its places in the Europa League qualifying rounds for the 2028/29 season. Following the latest round of European matches, Latvia has closed the gap on Armenia in UEFA's five-year association coefficient rankings. The situation has been complicated by Ararat-Armenia's disappointing campaign, with the Armenian club losing all four of its Europa League league-phase matches.

On November 5, Latvian side Riga drew 1-1 with Czech club Jablonec in the third round of the Conference League, earning additional coefficient points for their country.

Meanwhile, Ararat-Armenia suffered a painful 3-2 defeat against Portuguese side Torreense. The Armenian club had a numerical advantage from the 25th minute but conceded twice in stoppage time, letting victory slip away. The teams were reduced to equal numbers in the 76th minute following the dismissal of an Ararat-Armenia player.

Armenia and Latvia in the UEFA Coefficient Rankings

According to provisional calculations following the matches on November 5:

• 33rd place — Armenia: 15.812 points

• 34th place — Latvia: 14.625 points

The gap between the two countries is just 1.187 points.

Under the current European competition access list, finishing 33rd allows a national association to enter one club in Europa League qualifying. Dropping below that position could put the corresponding qualification spot at risk.

Armenia has already secured a Europa League place for the 2027/28 season. However, results from the current European campaign will affect the allocation of places for the 2028/29 season.

How Could Latvia Overtake Armenia?

Riga remain in the Conference League league phase, with three matches still to play:

• Kauno Žalgiris (Lithuania)

• Atalanta (Italy)

• Borac Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

With both countries having four representatives in European competitions, each league-phase victory adds 0.500 points to the national coefficient, while a draw earns 0.250 points.

Therefore, two wins and one draw from their remaining three matches would earn Latvia another 1.250 coefficient points. Under this scenario, Latvia would overtake Armenia if the Armenian club fails to add any more points to its national coefficient.

Riga also remain in contention for a place in the Conference League knockout stage, where they could earn further coefficient points.

Ararat-Armenia Must End Their Losing Streak

After four rounds, Ararat-Armenia remain without a point in the Europa League. The Armenian champions have suffered defeats against Sparta Prague (1-4), Jagiellonia (1-3), AZ Alkmaar (0-4), and Torreense (2-3).

Manuel Tulipa's team still have four matches remaining:

• November 26 — Salzburg (Austria), away

• December 10 — NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands), home

• January 21 — Celje (Slovenia), home

• January 28 — AC Milan (Italy), away

Earlier, Ararat-Armenia head coach Manuel Tulipa identified Jagiellonia, Torreense, NEC, and Celje as opponents against whom his team could realistically hope to earn points.

However, two of those matches have already ended in defeat. The upcoming encounters against the Dutch and Slovenian clubs now carry particular importance.

Even a single draw may not be enough for Armenia to retain 33rd place if the Latvian club continues to perform well in the Conference League.

Ararat-Armenia's qualification for the Europa League league phase, following their historic victory over Romanian side Universitatea Craiova, was a major achievement for Armenian football. However, the team now faces another important challenge: earning coefficient points that could determine the European prospects of every Armenian club.

The final allocation of European competition places will be confirmed after the European season concludes.