OM-Sporting and Benfica-PSG: Two crucial duels in the Champions League for France’s UEFA index

Neck and neck with Portugal in the UEFA index, France is counting on its six representatives in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa League Conference to consolidate its fifth place in the European ranking this week, in particular via the two French duels. -Portuguese, OM-Sporting on Tuesday (6:45 p.m.) and Benfica-Paris SG on Wednesday (9 p.m.).

Briefly demoted to sixth place after a poor 2020-2021 season, France have since held their fifth place, reinforced by a solid collective performance in 2021-2022, but remain under the double threat of Portuguese and Dutch clubs.

A very average start to the European season for France

And the results of the first two days of the European group stages do not help much: only PSG won their two confrontations, while Marseille lost twice in C1. On the C3 side, Rennes has a victory and a draw, Nantes and Monaco a success and a defeat. Finally, in C4, Nice chained two draws. Before the third day, France, with 60.081 points, points far behind the untouchable quartet England / Spain / Italy / Germany, while Portugal has 53.382 points and the Netherlands 49.300.

For this “country coefficient” calculated on the current season and the four previous ones, the French representatives can still widen the gap since they are still all in the running, while Portugal only has four clubs out of six after the elimination of Gil Vicente and Vitoria Guimaraes in C4. Because a slip to sixth place at the end of the season would result in French clubs losing a direct ticket to the group stage of the Europa League.

Attention danger for 2024

In this hypothesis, the club which would finish fifth in Ligue 1 in the spring of 2023 would qualify for the less prestigious Europa League Conference, as the sixth in the championship. The fourth would continue to be directly qualified for the Europa League groups, and the first three for the Champions League (with preliminary rounds for the third).

And for Ligue 1, the stakes will be even higher from 2024-2025: in the new 36-team format of the Champions League, the fifth country on the UEFA index will benefit from three direct qualifiers for the hens of the C1, plus a fourth club playing the preliminary rounds. A crucial prospect for French clubs, which must therefore consolidate their fifth place to stay in the wake of the best nations, knowing that a sixth place, and a lower number of qualified in C1, would mathematically limit the future progression of the index of France… and the financial future of its L1 clubs.

UEFA index as of October 3

• 1. England 106.41 points
• 2. Spain 96.141
• 3. Italy 76.902
• 4. Germany 75,213
• 5. France 60,081
• 6. Portugal 53,382
• 7. Netherlands 49,300