European status
FC Copenhagen can spend the summer holiday with the status of being number 39 on UEFA's official league table for clubs. FCK’s great efforts in Europe in the 2010/11 season set a new club record and contributed 18.34 points to the leader board. This means that Copenhagen have ended the season with 51.11 points.
However, with the gain there also comes a reduction. When the 2011/12 season kicks off, the club will lose their points earned in 2006/07, where UEFA Champions League qualification gave the club vital UEFA ranking points. Therefore, from next season, FCK will say goodbye to 9.225 points.
Copenhagen also strongly contributed to the national success, with Denmark gaining 6.7 points to the nation rankings, which places Denmark as number 12 in Europe. Importantly, 12th place is worth a lot more than 13th, as next season's Superliga champions will directly qualify for the Champions League group stage in 2012/13.
What’s next for FCK
In the coming season FCK enter the Champions League third qualifying round where, as a seeded team, they must meet another European champion from one of the smaller footballing nations. This could be the Swedish or Finnish champion, for example. If the Lions were to overcome this hurdle, they would go into the playoff round, also seeded. Here we may get a reunion with the Norwegian champions Rosenborg BK, or perhaps a rematch against Apoel of Cyprus.
Should FCK succeed in qualifying and playoff rounds, they will be seeded in the third tier of clubs progressing to the Champions League group stage. This is unlike last season, where Copenhagen were fourth, and therefore arguably drew stronger sides than themselves.
