A very good 5 out of 6 for French clubs in the group stage of the various European competitions this season.
Of the six teams involved in C1, C3 or C4, only Olympique de Marseille was definitively ousted by finishing 4th in its group in the Champions League at the very last second of its last match... Thanks to Monaco's final victories and Nantes, and with the draws of Rennes and Nice on Thursday, France consolidates its lead in the UEFA index.
In the overall balance after the group stages, the clubs of France, in 5th place, now have a 2.797 point lead over the Netherlands and 5.781 over Portugal.
As a reminder, the UEFA index is decisive especially for the 2024-2025 season, with the new formula of the Champions League.
A fifth place would qualify three clubs directly for the main round - one team more than at present - and another for the play-offs.
Beware of Europa League play-offs
Efforts must nevertheless continue to increase this lead.
The only advantage is that France still has five teams engaged in Europe against four for Portugal and the Netherlands.
The knockout stages of the Europa League could also be decisive.
The three French clubs involved (Rennes, Monaco and Nantes) could meet Ajax Amsterdam or Sporting Lisbon, transferred to C3 following their 3rd place in the group stage of the Champions League.
Knockout round play-off teams ✅
ℹ️ #UELdraw
📅 Monday November 7
⏲️ 13:00 CET#UEL pic.twitter.com/ObuAPFt9OD
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 3, 2022
Paris Saint-Germain's journey in the Champions League could also bring home big points.
On the other hand, Portugal saw two clubs qualify, Porto and Benfica (which took first place from PSG), for the round of 16.
Closer in the standings, the Netherlands no longer have a representative in this competition, but Feyenoord qualified directly for the 8th in the Europa League, securing big points.
On the French side, the good operation came from Nice, who finished first in their group in the Europa League conference.
AZ Alkmaar is also in this case.
To secure a fifth place in the UEFA index, we will therefore have to continue to perform in Europe for our five French clubs.
