French clubs left another uneven European week behind them, and the margin protecting Ligue 1’s place in the UEFA rankings has narrowed after Portugal’s perfect set of away results.
The Ligue 1 news
Lyon gave France its strongest Europa League result by winning 2-1 at Anderlecht. Rennes then drew 0-0 away to Sturm Graz, while Marseille suffered the heavy blow of the round, losing 4-1 at Besiktas.
Those results reduced France’s advantage over Portugal in the battle for fifth place in the UEFA coefficient table. The gap now stands at 3.403 points, having been 3.774 before the opening matchday of the Europa League league phase.
Portugal collected maximum points from its two clubs in the competition. Benfica won 2-0 at AC Milan’s San Siro, while second-tier side Torreense beat Lillestrøm 2-1 in Norway.
The calculation favours Portugal when its clubs win: Portuguese results are divided by five, compared with seven for France. Ligue 1 has more teams able to add points across Europe, but its larger entry also means every poor result carries a greater cost.
France had gained ground during the previous week’s opening Champions League fixtures. Paris Saint-Germain and Lens both won, while Sporting CP were Portugal’s only victorious side, taking France’s lead to 3.603 points after the qualifying rounds. The Europa League results have since cut into that advantage.
The contest has major consequences for the French game. Holding fifth position would preserve four Champions League places for Ligue 1: three direct entries and one place through qualifying. France would also retain seven European representatives overall.
If Portugal moves ahead, Ligue 1 would be reduced to two direct Champions League berths, plus one qualifying-place entrant, and six clubs in European competition in total for the 2028-29 season.
The next European appointments
The coefficient race resumes in the week of 12 October, when the second rounds of the Champions League and Europa League take place alongside the start of the Conference League league phase.
France and Portugal will each have one club entering that competition. Monaco begin away to CSKA Sofia, while Braga travel to face FC Copenhagen. The fight for fifth in the UEFA table is set to run for several more months.
