Dream evening for the French teams…and for the UEFA index. In the Europa League, the French representatives signed a 3 out of 3 (victories for Rennes, Marseille and Toulouse) while Lille drew in the Europa Conference League. A gala Thursday evening for France which is 0.003 points behind the Netherlands on the index. A gap now minimal, also narrowed with the defeats of AZ Alkmaar and Ajax Amsterdam on Thursday as well. Enough to see a good prospect, in winning back the 4 qualifying tickets in the Champions League for 2025-2026.
As for the Dutch teams, the situation is less brilliant with zero points on Thursday evening. Ajax Amsterdam was beaten in C3 at home by Brighton (0-2) and AZ Alkmaar lost in the Europa Conference League to Aston Villa (2-1). This counterbalances the 1/2 in the Champions League with the victory of PSV Eindhoven and the defeat of Feyenoord a little earlier in the week.
But it is above all the future that smells good for France’s UEFA ranking, with the six teams engaged in the race for qualification in the final stages. In the Champions League, the situations are similar between Lens, PSG, Feyenoord and PSV. But it is in C3 and C4 that the Dutch are overwhelmed. AZ Alkmaar and Ajax are dead last in their group and the first of the two teams already almost eliminated. The spring looks brighter for Rennes, OM and Lille virtually qualified while Toulouse is currently holding off. While Europe could end before Christmas for the Dutch, the French teams are well placed to continue their journey… and to pick up points for the index.