The UEFA coefficient is a bit of a cash cow for the various leagues. Clubs in each country must perform well to maintain their top rankings. France has struggled in Europe several times, but managed to climb to 5th place at the end of the 2023-2024 season, thus securing seven European qualification spots (four for the Champions League, including three direct qualification spots, two for the Europa League, and one for the Europa Conference League). The objective was to at least maintain this ranking at the end of the 2025-2026 season, or even catch up with Germany. This week’s results are mixed.
UEFA coefficient by country (over the last five seasons, including the current one).
Source: UEFA official website.
Indeed, France has just come through a somewhat positive week, but one that could have been better: While Marseille (2-3 against Union Saint-Gilloise), Monaco (1-0 against Galatasaray), Lyon (2-1 against Go Ahead Eagles), and Strasbourg (0-1 against Aberdeen) all managed to secure victories, others stumbled.
PSG lacked efficiency against Athletic Bilbao (0-0), Lille made things difficult for themselves and lost to Young Boys Bern (1-0), and Nice continued their terrible losing streak, this time against Sporting Braga (0-1).
This still allows them to accumulate points, distance themselves from their three closest pursuers (the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium), and close the gap slightly on Germany, whose record is also mixed (3 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss). But there’s definitely a feeling that they could have done better.
