UEFA Index: France under threat from the Netherlands and could lose a direct place for the C1 2024-25

Monaco’s elimination from the Champions League is very bad news for French football. Worse, the Principality club was taken out by a Dutch team. With this defeat on the lawn of PSV Eindhoven (2-3, ap) Tuesday evening, France sees its fifth place in the ranking of the UEFA index very seriously threatened by the Netherlands (note: 49.997 against 48.100 points).
If the trend were to be reversed by the end of the season, the consequences would be serious for French football: instead of having four representatives (including three directly) for the group stage of the new-look Champions League in 2024-25two clubs would qualify directly and the third would have to progress through two preliminary rounds (as is currently the case).

The UEFA index is calculated on the European results of the different countries over the last five seasons. However, in a year, the 2017-18 season will no longer be counted. If the Dutch clubs had a catastrophic exercise there, OM notably went to the Europa League final. This season, the Netherlands could have, like France with PSG and OM, two clubs in the C1 group stages: Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven, if it eliminates Glasgow Rangers in the play-offs.

Watch out in Portugal

Thursday, the third preliminary round return of the Europa League Conference between Twente and Dundee United will be followed closely, especially since the Scottish team won in the first leg (1-0). In addition, it will also be necessary to take into account the results of the Portuguese clubs (7th with 45.716 points). Because if France were to lose two places in the UEFA index ranking, the consequences would be catastrophic for Ligue 1: only the first would qualify directly for the group stage of the C1 and the second would have to play a third round.

This season, Portugal will present at least two representatives in the Champions League group stage: Porto, Sporting and Benfica if they eliminate Dynamo kyiv in the play-offs. However in C4, Vitoria Guimaraes is on an unfavorable waiver against Hajduk Split (3-1 in Croatia in the first leg). In 2022-23, PSG, OM (C1), Monaco, Nantes, Rennes (C3) and Nice (C4) will have a heavy responsibility for the future of French football.

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