The UEFA coefficient ranking is somewhat of a golden goose for the various national leagues. It features clubs from each country, and these clubs must perform well in European competitions to maintain their ranking. France has struggled in Europe on several occasions, but managed to climb to 5th place at the end of the 2023-2024 season, securing seven European qualification spots (4 for the Champions League, 3 of which are direct qualifiers, 2 for the Europa League, and 1 for the Conference League). The goal was to at least maintain this position by the end of the 2025-2026 season, and ideally, to catch up with Germany. This week’s results are interesting.
UEFA coefficient ranking by country (based on the last 5 seasons, including the current one).
Source: UEFA official website.
Nice suffered a defeat yesterday against Fenerbahçe (2-1), but the other six French clubs all won: Olympique Marseille (4-0 against Ajax Amsterdam), Paris Saint-Germain (1-2 against FC Barcelona), Lille (0-1 against AS Roma), Lyon (2-0 against Salzburg), and Strasbourg (1-2 against Slovan Bratislava). A very successful week for accumulating points and pulling further ahead of the Netherlands this season. However, Germany remains out of reach and has gained approximately 100 points so far this season.
With the 2021-2022 season dropping out of the calculation at the end of this season, France has a good lead over the Netherlands, but must remain wary of Portugal. Catching up with Germany looks very difficult. Consistent performances from French clubs will be essential. This is an important factor for the UEFA coefficient ranking and for the revenue of French football, both directly and through the enhancement of the sport’s image and potentially television rights deals.
