He is a chestnut of French football.
Failing to be able to catch up with England, Spain, Germany and Italy, France must secure its fifth place in the UEFA index ranking, where it is in competition with the Netherlands.
This place is worth more than ever since the reform of the Champions League which will come into force next season.
In 2024-25, France will have three clubs directly qualified for the C1, plus the 4th in Ligue 1 which should go through the 3rd preliminary round then the play-offs.
To discover
Schedule and results Champions League
Champions League standings
The Netherlands, for their part, will be content to send the first two in their championship, with the third which will go through two qualifying rounds, like the 4th in Ligue 1.
It is likely that the configuration will remain like this for the 2025-26 season after PSG's qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
One match can close the question: that between Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven, in the round of 16 of C1 on March 13.
If the Dutch club PSV is eliminated, the Netherlands will no longer be able to catch up with France.
Dortmund snatched a draw from Eindhoven in the first leg on February 20 (1-1).
Portugal, 7th in the UEFA coefficient, is already behind.
France, which can also still count on Olympique de Marseille (Europa League) and Lille (Europa Conference League) to score points, has all the cards in hand to protect this famous 5th place.