Crystal Palace’s 3-2 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League was one of the results that helped France strengthen its position in fifth place in the UEFA coefficient ranking. French clubs recorded four wins and three losses across Europe during the week.
France now has 70.296 points, giving it a 3.746-point advantage over Portugal on 66.550. That margin is only a modest improvement on the 3.403-point lead recorded after the opening Europa League round, underlining how close the contest remains.
The French total was also boosted by Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-2 win at Manchester City, Rennes’ 2-1 victory over OFI Crete and Monaco’s 2-1 success in Sofia. Marseille’s 1-0 home defeat to Olympiacos was the other setback for a French side during the latest round of results.
France’s advantage remains fragile after it lost 10.332 points of its previous lead over the summer when the successful 2021-22 season fell out of the five-year calculation. Portugal has also performed better in the current campaign, collecting 6.300 points compared with France’s 5.214.
The ranking carries major consequences for French clubs, with fifth place providing seven European berths: four in the Champions League, two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League. Sixth place would mean one fewer European place and only two Champions League qualifiers, with just one entering directly, for the 2027-28 season.
