Benfica face longer Europa League route after historic Torreense win | OneFootball

Torreense’s major triumph in the Portuguese Cup final against Sporting (2-1 after extra time) triggered an immediate domino effect on the European competitions. By winning the trophy, the Torres Vedras side secured direct entry into the 2026/27 Europa League league phase.

This scenario had a direct impact on Benfica, who had been “depending” on a different outcome at Jamor in order to benefit from a shorter path in the Europa League. With Torreense taking the direct qualification spot, the Eagles are now forced to begin their campaign in the competition’s second qualifying round, bringing forward the start of pre-season and requiring them to get through several rounds to reach the league phase.

In practice, Benfica will have to face a more demanding route, with six potential matches to secure a place in the Europa League proper, at an early stage of the season when any slip-up can be decisive - and possible opponents are already known.

The rest of Portugal’s European picture was also altered by this historic result. Braga move on to the second qualifying round of the Conference League, while Famalicão see their hopes of playing in Europe collapse, missing out on continental competition.

Torreense, meanwhile, as Portuguese Cup winners, enter the Europa League draw in Pot 4, although with the possibility of moving up depending on how the European ranking develops. Benfica, if they come through all the qualifying rounds, should be placed in Pot 1 in the competition’s league phase.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.