How can you celebrate a third place in Ligue 1 every year like qualifying for the Champions League when you are a French club? The question arises after a new elimination of a French club even before the group stages, as was still the case on Tuesday evening with Olympique de Marseille. Over the last ten seasons, only one French club has managed to qualify for the group stages after going through the play-offs: AS Monaco in 2016/2017. A season finally punctuated by the title of champion of France with the emergence of a certain Kylian Mbappé.
3rd place directly qualifying next summer
The balance sheet is therefore catastrophic with six eliminations in ten years. Those of the last three seasons are particularly bitter with defeats in extra time for Monaco the last two years, or on penalties, as for Marseille against Panathinaikos (2-2, 3-5 pens). But until 2021/2022, French clubs had always managed to reach the play-offs over the last 10 years, unlike Marseille and Monaco, which were eliminated in the third preliminary round.
The three times when the 3rd in Ligue 1 of the previous season qualified directly for the group stages, it was because neither Rennes nor Lyon, twice, had had to play the preliminary round. The only reason for hope, this famous 3rd place in Ligue 1 will directly qualify for the Champions League phases next summer. It will be 4th in the standings to go through the play-offs. For how long ? France’s UEFA index will tell us.