12,583 points. This is the number of points totaled by French clubs in the UEFA index last year at the end of a catastrophic 2022/23 European season. Quite the opposite of the current one since our representatives have already gleaned 14,416 points at the very beginning of March. And it’s far from over given the results achieved this week by PSG, OM and LOSC. Because yes, the three hexagonal formations are in good shape and it showed! And all this bodes very well for benefiting from 7 places in the European Cup in 2025-26 as will already be the case next year (4 Ligue 1 clubs will be entered in C1, namely 3 direct qualifiers plus 1 in preliminary rounds).
The capital club brilliantly won in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad (1-2), thereby obtaining its ticket for the quarter-finals of the competition with its small point bonus. For its part, LOSC crushed the Austrian club Sturm Graz far from its bases in the Europa Conference League (0-3). As for OM, they made short work of Villarreal for Marcelino’s big return to the Orange Vélodrome (4-0). The Spanish team, the last representative of Spain outside the Champions League, is therefore preparing, barring an unlikely comeback, to leave the continental scene next week.
Spain takes water in the UEFA index
The Yellow Submarine, which took on water on the Canebière, clearly symbolizes Spain’s decline in the UEFA index, already glimpsed last season. In all likelihood, the latter should finish behind France in the ranking of the current season, a historic first… How far away the days when our Pyrenean neighbor outrageously dominated the continental scene with England seem. Real Madrid, who qualified controversially against Leipzig this week (0-1, 1-1 at the Bernabeu), will not say the opposite.
It will take great matches for Atletico Madrid against Inter and Barça against Napoli to avoid a fiasco which would be a stain on Spain. The matter will not be simple since the Italian clubs are irresistible in the European Cup this season and outrageously dominate the index ranking for the current season with one point ahead of Germany.
Ranking of nations according to the UEFA coefficient for the 2023/24 season (in parentheses, the number of clubs remaining in competition and the number of clubs qualified this season for European competitions) as of 03/08/2024:
-1. Italy 16,571 (6/7)
-2. Germany 15,500 (4/7)
-3. England 14,625 points (6/8)
-4. France 14,416 points (3/6)
-5. Spain 13,437 points (4/8)
-6. Rep. Czech 13,000 points (3/4)
-7. Belgium 12,400 points (2/5)
-8. Türkiye 11,500 points (1/4)
-9. Portugal 10,166 points (3/6)
-10. Netherlands 9,800 points (2/5)
Ranking of nations by UEFA coefficient over the last five seasons (between 2019 and 2024):
-1. England 101,553 points
-2. Spain 86,864 points
-3. Italy 85,855 points
-4. Germany 82,767 points
-5. France 64,997 points
-6. Netherlands 61,300 points
-7.Portugal 55,482 points
-8. Belgium 46,800 points
-9. Türkiye 38,100 points
-10. Scotland 36,050 points
