20 years. It’s been an eternity since France last had three qualified representatives in the quarter-finals of the European Cup. At the time in 2003/04, there were 4 of them with Monaco and OL in C1 and OM and Bordeaux in C3. Today, it is PSG in the Champions League, OM in the Europa League and LOSC in the Conference League who will defend the colors of France with the hope of continuing the adventure even further. A sporting objective obviously, of the reputation of Ligue 1 on the European stage but also necessarily important for the UEFA index.
If PSG had no difficulty in qualifying at the expense of Real Sociedad (2-0, 2-1), LOSC defeated Sturm Graz without too many problems (0-3, 1- 1), it was more complicated for OM who had an incredible scare on the Villarreal pitch (4-0, 1-3). Significant performances which sealed France’s fifth place in the UEFA rankings for the next two seasons since the Netherlands, who no longer have any representatives on the continental scene after the eliminations of PSV and Ajax , can no longer overtake France.
France defeats the Netherlands and takes over Spain
There will therefore be four Ligue 1 clubs qualified for the next two editions of the C1 (three qualified directly in the group stage, a fourth in the play-off). But two clubs will also qualify in the Europa League (the fifth in the championship and the winner of the Coupe de France) and one in the Europa Conference League (the sixth in the championship).
Excellent news which follows on from last week’s news. Indeed, France is still ideally placed to finish ahead of Spain at the end of the season in the current year. This may seem anecdotal, but this has never happened since the introduction of the Champions League. New proof that we must now reckon with French clubs on the continental scene.
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 03/15/2024:
-1. Italy 17,714 (4/7)
-2. Germany 16,357 (3/7)
-3. England 16,250 points (5/8)
-4. France 14,416 points (3/6)
-5. Spain 14,437 points (3/8)
-6. Rep. Czech 13,250 points (1/4)
-7. Belgium 13,200 points (2/5)
-8. Türkiye 11,500 points (1/4)
-9. Portugal 10,666 points (3/6)
-10. Netherlands 10,000 points (0/5)
Ranking of nations by UEFA coefficient over the last five seasons (between 2019 and 2024):
-1. England 103.178 points
-2. Spain 87,864 points
-3. Italy 86,998 points
-4. Germany 83,624 points
-5. France 65,331 points
-6. Netherlands 61,300 points
-7.Portugal 55,982 points
-8. Belgium 47,600 points
-9. Türkiye 38,100 points
-10. Scotland 36,050 points
