Valencia Club de Fútbol will set an unwanted historical record this Wednesday: 2,374 consecutive days without competing in Europe. This new milestone surpasses the previous club record of 2,373 days set between 1983 and 1989.
The current streak began on 10 March 2020 with a 3-4 defeat to Atalanta in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. That match was played behind closed doors at Mestalla, a harbinger of the long continental drought to come. Former manager Rubén Baraja called it "the crossing of the desert".
The contrast with Valencia CF's glorious past is stark. Before owner Peter Lim's arrival in 2014, the club had qualified for European competition in 16 of the previous 17 seasons. Since then, they have managed it only three times, racking up nine seasons without Europe in his twelve-year tenure. The club has won seven continental titles, including the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup, and played in two Champions League finals in the early 2000s. Today, they have vanished completely from the UEFA club rankings.
The immediate present offers little comfort either. Under manager Carlos Corberán, Valencia sits bottom of La Liga after four matchdays, with just one point from a possible twelve. Their recent form is LLLD, they have scored only one goal and conceded nine, for a -8 goal difference. They are eleven points behind leaders Barcelona. The injuries list is lengthy and includes players like S. Canos, J. Copete, and D. Foulquier, complicating preparations for the next fixture.
In the best-case scenario, Valencia could not return to Europe until the summer of 2027. That would extend the absence to approximately 2,700 days. The board links the goal of a continental return to the move to Nou Mestalla, scheduled for next summer. In the meantime, the team must focus on the fight for survival in La Liga, where their standings position is extremely precarious.
The next challenge comes this Thursday, 11 September, an away trip to face sixth-placed Sevilla. It is an opportunity to start changing the dynamic before the European absence record grows even longer. Full schedule details can be found on our fixtures page.
