France Secures Fifth Place in UEFA Ranking, Guarantees Four Champions League Spots
France has officially secured fifth place in the UEFA coefficient ranking for the upcoming season. This achievement guarantees French football four berths in the UEFA Champions League and a total of seven clubs participating across various continental competitions.
This significant milestone was reached following a series of positive results recorded by French clubs, which strengthened their position at the forefront of the competition for advanced spots behind the continent's major footballing powers.
With Paris Saint-Germain reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and Strasbourg also making it to the Conference League semi-finals, the gap with Portugal widened. Portugal lost significant points with Sporting Lisbon's exit from the premier competition and FC Porto's elimination from the Europa League. France currently stands at 82.712 points in the overall ranking, compared to 72.766 points for its rival Portugal, giving French clubs a comfortable advantage before the end of the current season.
In terms of figures, France has accumulated 17.535 points during the current season, marking the sixth-best European performance. Two French clubs remain in continental competitions, while only one Portuguese club, Sporting Braga, continues in the Europa League. It is worth noting that the points calculation mechanism relies on the results from the past five seasons, with the points from the 2021/2022 season being excluded from next year's calculations.
England leads the overall ranking with 117.408 points, followed by Italy, Spain, and Germany in the top four positions, which dominate the footballing landscape. This success reflects French football's achievement in securing its place behind the major powers and overcoming the Portuguese threat to ensure the largest possible representation in Europe's most prestigious continental competitions.
