Tonight the Conference League kicks off for the fifth time since it was introduced in 2021. In that time, there have been five different winners, three of which have come from England. One Dutch side did come close, with Feyenoord losing out to Roma in the first final. Ajax will be hoping to go one better this year. The Dutch side are in the competition for the second time in their history, having been knocked out in the Round of 16 back in the 2023/2024 edition of the tournament.
Just a cursory glance at the league suggests that Ajax should really be thinking of this competition as a major chance to win some European silverware. The giants of Dutch football have not won a European tournament since the turn of the millennium, owed in large part to the growing disparity between the top European leagues and the rest. Yet, the Conference League was introduced to give sides outside of the top five leagues a better chance at progressing further in European football. Only Olympiacos and Feyenoord have made the final outside of clubs from the top five leagues, and Ajax should be aiming to be the third.
Clearly, given the strength of the English sides, Brighton will be considered one of their main rivals to go all the way. The English side are well coached and have plenty of talent that should see them go deep in the competition. Freiburg made it to the Europa League final last season, so should also be considered one of the favourites for the Conference League given it does have less quality in it. Atalanta and Monaco will be tough opponents as well and two sides more than capable of going all the way.
Yet beyond these sides, Ajax look one of the stronger teams in the competition. There will be pressure on the side to start well away to Hadjuk Split, especially off the back of two disappointing draws in the Eredivisie. A true test should then come on the 22nd of October when they welcome Atalanta to Amsterdam. This will be a real chance for Ajax to show if they have what it takes to go all the way in the competition. FC Midtjylland, Thun, Sint Truiden and Getafe are the rest of their opponents. On paper at least, Ajax should be able to pick up enough points from these games to progress through to the next round.
If they do have ambitions of going all the way, they will need the likes of Julian Brandt, Tolu Arokodare and Oscar Gloukh to step up. Brandt and Arokodare already have four goals in the league this season, while Gloukh has five goals and four assists in 13 games, with four of those goals coming in qualification for the Conference League.
Given Ajax have ambitions of winning the Eredivisie and qualifying for Champions League football, it should be rare for them to find themselves in the Conference League. However, it does offer them a great chance to bring back some of the glory years of European football to Amsterdam. This is a side that has won the Champions League on four occasions and the Europa League once. The Conference League is the only European competition they have yet to win, but maybe this year that will change.
