Benfica fans cross fingers for Sporting to win Portuguese Cup | OneFootball

The final of the Portuguese Cup between Sporting - who knocked out Porto - and Torreense could have direct effects on Benfica’s European future, in a scenario where the Eagles could benefit from a combination of results to avoid several Europa League qualifying rounds.

At issue is the European qualification rule that grants the Portuguese Cup winner direct access to the Europa League league phase, but that place can be freed up if the winner has already secured qualification for the Champions League through the league, something that would open up an extra spot for the team finishing third in the league.

The competitive context of Liga Portugal Betclic keeps everything open, with Sporting fighting for a podium finish and still with a game in hand against Tondela, while Benfica remain in the battle for second and third place, at a stage when the final standings will be decisive for the European path of the Portuguese teams.

If Sporting finish in the top two and win the Portuguese Cup, the direct Europa League spot would pass to the team finishing third in the league, which could allow Benfica to enter the competition directly in the league phase, thus avoiding six qualifying matches at a time in the season when the schedule is already particularly demanding.

That scenario would have a direct impact on the Eagles’ summer preparations, since the qualifying rounds begin as early as July, forcing an earlier start to the season and potentially coinciding with the presence of several internationals at major competitions, such as the World Cup, reducing the availability of José Mourinho’s squad for pre-season.

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