Hajduk would be seeded in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, but could already get a much tougher draw in the next round
Hajduk Split, in a possible appearance in the 2026/27 Europa League qualifiers, would not have the same status throughout the entire qualifying path. According to current projections of UEFA's seeding system, the Split club would be among the seeded teams in the first qualifying round thanks to its club coefficient of 10.000, but in the second qualifying round, if it passes the first obstacle, it would find itself among the unseeded teams. This means that already after the opening European round it could run into an opponent with a noticeably higher European rating, depending on the final list of participants and possible transfers of clubs between competitions.
Such an outcome is not a question of current form, impression or domestic league position, but a consequence of UEFA's coefficient, which is used to determine seeded teams in draws. UEFA states in its rules that the sporting club coefficient is based on the club's results in European competitions over five seasons, or on a share of the national coefficient if that amount is more favorable for the club. In practice, this means that a club's European status is not determined only by placement in the domestic league or cup, but also by the continuity of results in qualifiers, groups and knockout stages of European competitions.
According to the specialized UEFA coefficient database run by Bert Kassies, Hajduk is in the projection of the first qualifying round of the Europa League among the seeded teams with a coefficient of 10.000. The same projection, however, places Hajduk among the unseeded teams in the second qualifying round, because the threshold for a secure seeded status in that round is significantly higher. That is the key difference: in the first qualifying round, according to the current picture, Hajduk would be in the more favorable part of the draw, while in the second qualifying round it would have to count on the possibility of a tie against clubs from stronger leagues or clubs with longer European continuity.
Why the status changes already after the first round
The reason why Hajduk can be seeded in one round and unseeded in the next lies in the composition of each individual qualifying round. A smaller number of clubs participates in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, among which Hajduk's coefficient of 10.000 is sufficient to enter the upper part of the draw. In the second qualifying round, stronger clubs from better-ranked leagues also enter, as do the winners of ties from the first qualifying round. Because of this, the coefficient scale rises, so the same number of points that is sufficient for seeding in one round no longer necessarily has to be sufficient in the next.
According to the currently available projection for the 2026/27 Europa League, in the second qualifying round among the possible seeded teams there are clubs or ties with substantially higher coefficients. In such an environment, Hajduk's 10.000 points do not guarantee privileged status. It is especially important that the draw for the second qualifying round is usually held before all matches of the first qualifying round have been played, so the draw often does not feature only the name of a club, but a tie. In that case, the better coefficient of the club from that tie is generally taken for the seeding of the tie, which can additionally affect the final arrangement of seeded and unseeded teams.
For Hajduk, this would mean that getting past the first obstacle would not automatically bring a more favorable path. On the contrary, reaching the second qualifying round could open a tougher part of the qualifiers, in which the Split club would have to overcome an opponent with a greater European reputation or a more stable coefficient. In Europa League qualifying this can be decisive, because the difference between seeded and unseeded teams is often visible already in the first phase of the draw: seeded teams are protected from meeting each other, while unseeded teams enter a group of possible opponents who are stronger on paper.
Coefficient 10.000: enough for the start, not enough for a safer continuation
Hajduk's current European coefficient of 10.000 reflects the result of a period in which the club did not manage to build longer continuity of appearances in the main stages of European competitions. According to data from Football-coefficient.eu, Hajduk ended its European path in the 2025/26 season in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, after a tie with Dinamo Tirana. The same source states that the Split club had a European coefficient of 10.000 in that season and that, in the European ranking, it was far from clubs that regularly collect points in the league phase of European competitions.
UEFA's rules additionally explain why individual seasons have a long-lasting effect. The club coefficient for seeding is calculated over five seasons, so a good or bad European result is not erased immediately after one year. A club that regularly passes qualifiers, plays the league phase or reaches knockout rounds gradually builds a coefficient that later enables easier draws. A club that is eliminated before the main stage of the competition collects significantly fewer points and remains in a zone in which seeded status often changes from round to round.
For the Split club this is especially important because European qualifiers are played in a short and sensitive period, most often before the team reaches full competitive rhythm. In such circumstances, one bad draw can significantly make the path toward the league phase more difficult. Seeded status does not guarantee progression, but it reduces the likelihood of meeting the strongest possible opponents. Unseeded status, on the other hand, does not mean automatic elimination, but it increases the risk of already getting, in an early stage, an opponent against whom the margin for error is much smaller.
The Europa League brings a tougher path than the Conference League
Europa League qualifiers are structurally more demanding than Conference League qualifiers, especially for clubs that do not have a high coefficient. In the Europa League, the competition is generally stronger because it includes cup winners and highly placed clubs from national championships of mid-ranked and higher-ranked associations. Some clubs also come from Champions League qualifying, depending on the stage and path of elimination, which additionally raises the quality of the competition.
UEFA's official access list for the 2026/27 season shows that participants are allocated across competitions and rounds according to the position of the national association on the coefficient ranking, and UEFA emphasizes that dynamic access lists are updated as participants are confirmed and domestic leagues and cups finish. This means that projections before the final end of the season should be viewed as a very useful, but still changeable picture. The final status of some clubs can change depending on cup winners, league placements, European winners and access-list rebalancing.
For Hajduk, the most important practical consequence is this: in the Europa League, according to the current projection, the first step could be more favorable, but the second step would already become considerably more complicated. In the Conference League, the path often includes a larger number of clubs with lower coefficients, while the Europa League gathers clubs with a stronger European background. If a club wants to have a better long-term position in draws, it must collect points precisely in such matches, because the coefficient cannot be significantly raised only through domestic results.
What unseeded status means for the draw
Unseeded status in the second qualifying round does not determine a specific opponent in advance, but only the group from which the opponent can come. In qualifying rounds, UEFA divides clubs and ties into seeded and unseeded teams, and before the draw itself additional groups are also possible for organizational, geographical and security reasons. According to Bert Kassies' projection, UEFA in the first qualifying rounds still often uses some kind of regionalization, although the concrete rules are not publicly defined in the same form as the basic seeding system.
This means that Hajduk, even if it is unseeded, will not necessarily be able to draw absolutely every seeded team from the entire list. Subgroups are possible, and clubs from the same national association generally cannot play each other at that stage. Still, the basic sporting logic remains the same: an unseeded team gets an opponent from the seeded part of the draw, and there are teams there with a better coefficient. In the second qualifying round of the Europa League, such an opponent can be a club that regularly plays in Europe, a club from a financially stronger league or the winner of a tie in which one club had a very high coefficient.
For clubs like Hajduk, every European season is therefore both a sporting and a strategic opportunity. Passing one or two qualifying rounds brings short-term benefit through the competitive result, revenue, visibility and greater supporter interest, but it also brings long-term benefit through the coefficient. Every point won can decide in later seasons whether the club will be in the privileged or non-privileged part of the draw. That is precisely why the difference between being seeded in the first qualifying round and unseeded in the second qualifying round is not only a technical detail, but an indicator of where the club currently stands on the European ranking.
The context of Croatian clubs and the fight for a better position
In recent years, Croatian clubs have often depended on individual European breakthroughs rather than on broad continuity of several clubs in the main stages of competitions. Dinamo Zagreb, thanks to many years of appearances in Europe, has a significantly higher coefficient than most domestic competitors. According to data from Football-coefficient.eu, Dinamo had a coefficient of 46.500 in the 2025/26 season, Rijeka 18.625, and Hajduk 10.000. That difference clearly shows why Croatian clubs are not in the same position in European draws, even when they are in direct competition for trophies and European places in domestic football.
For Hajduk, European continuity is therefore important beyond a single season. A club that wants to consistently enter more favorable draws must pass qualifying obstacles multiple times and reach the league phase. In the new format of UEFA competitions, introduced for the period from 2024 to 2027, the league phase brings a larger number of matches and more opportunities to collect points, but it is harder to reach for clubs that start from an early qualifying stage. Because of this, every draw in July and August is extremely important, and seeded status can often have a major impact on the real chances of progression.
In Hajduk's case, the current projection sends a clear message: the first round of the Europa League would be an opportunity the club should not miss, but progression would not mean entering a calmer zone. The second qualifying round would probably bring a stronger opponent and require a high level of play in the early stage of the season. Such a path requires well-timed team preparation, quick adaptation of new players and a sufficiently broad squad for the rhythm of domestic and European obligations.
The final picture will depend on the end of domestic competitions and UEFA rebalancing
Although coefficient projections are very precise for understanding a possible draw, the final list of participants in the 2026/27 Europa League still depends on several factors. UEFA emphasizes on its pages that dynamic access lists track who has already secured a place in European competitions and in which round individual clubs should start. In doing so, final placements in national leagues, cup winners, European winners and possible changes to the access list are important if clubs already secure a place in a stronger competition through the domestic ranking.
Because of this, individual details may change before the official draw, but the basic message for Hajduk remains the same as long as the coefficient of 10.000 is below the threshold needed for a safer seeded status in the second qualifying round. The Split club would, according to the current arrangement, have a better position in the first qualifying round, while in the second qualifying round it would be in the less favorable part of the draw. For supporters and the coaching staff, this means that a possible European path should be viewed on two levels: first as the obligation to get past the opening obstacle, and then as a possible early major test against a stronger seeded opponent.
The European season for clubs from qualifying is often decided before the wider public forms an impression of the team's real strength. That is why the question of seeding is more than an administrative label. It shows how present the club has been in Europe in past seasons, how many points it has collected and what kind of path may await it in its next attempt. For Hajduk, possible entry into the 2026/27 Europa League would open a more ambitious, but also more demanding path: a more favorable draw at the start, then far less room for error already in the second qualifying round.
Sources:
- UEFA – rules on the calculation of club coefficients and the scoring system in European competitions (link)
- UEFA – dynamic access list for club competitions in the 2026/27 season (link)
- UEFA Documents – access list and Europa League regulations 2026/27 (link)
- UEFA European Cup Football / Bert Kassies – projection of seeding in the 2026/27 Europa League (link)
- Football-coefficient.eu – Hajduk's club coefficient, European results and comparison of Croatian clubs (link)