According to L'Équipe, the Primeira Liga is catching up to Ligue 1, threatening France's fifth-place position in the UEFA coefficient rankings.

Ligue 1 faces mounting pressure in European competitions as the Primeira Liga narrows the gap in the UEFA coefficient rankings. However, France still retains several advantages that could help it maintain its five European qualification spots.

To use a racing analogy, the French car can now see the Portuguese car closing in its rearview mirror. The trend in the UEFA coefficient has been clear in recent months: France currently holds fifth place, ahead of Portugal. At the end of last season, the gap between them was 10.332 points, but it has since shrunk considerably.

By the start of the 2026-2027 season, France's lead had narrowed to 4.832 points. Since UEFA coefficients are calculated over the previous five seasons, France lost the advantage from its strong 2021-2022 campaign, when it earned 18.416 points compared to Portugal's 12.916 points.

Before the group stage begins in September, the gap has narrowed further to just 3.603 points, with France on 68.153 points and Portugal on 64.550 points. In the qualifying rounds completed so far, two French clubs have played 6 matches and won 3, while two Portuguese clubs have played 12 matches and won 8.

Having more Champions League teams is a significant advantage. Olympique Lyonnais's elimination from the Champions League playoffs by Fenerbahçe (1-1, 1-2) is unwelcome news, as the Champions League awards considerably more points than the Europa League—for example, 6 additional points for the same league-stage placement.

However, the situation is not entirely bleak. Ligue 1 still has three teams in the Champions League: PSG, RC Lens, and LOSC Lille, including the competition's last two champions. The Primeira Liga has only two representatives: Sporting CP and FC Porto.

Across all European competitions, France has 7 teams participating. On Thursday, AS Monaco defeated Górnik Zabrze to advance to the Europa Conference League group stage (3-2, 4-1). Portugal has only 5 teams, giving it fewer opportunities to progress and accumulate points.

France cannot afford to be complacent, as the points accumulated by French teams are averaged based on the number of participating teams at the start of the season. Early eliminations or poor performances have a magnified impact on the coefficient.

This season, Ligue 1's objective is to maintain fifth place in the UEFA rankings and secure seven European competition spots for the 2028-2029 season. Thanks to last spring's standings, Ligue 1 has already guaranteed this allocation for the 2027-2028 season. A sixth-place country would receive only six European competition spots in total and would lose one direct Champions League group stage qualification, dropping from three to two places.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse the latest news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com