Can France hold onto its coveted fifth‑place chase? Both France and Portugal are locked in the fight for UEFA’s fifth spot, yet each endured a rough European week. French clubs lag behind, while Portuguese rivals trim the points gap.
It was a week to forget. The French and Portuguese sides, vying for that crucial fifth UEFA slot, failed to shine on the continental stage. Portuguese teams posted three defeats in five games, whereas Ligue 1 sides mustered only two wins from seven, suffered four losses and drew once.
Tuesday began brightly when PSG edged Barcelona 4‑2 in the Champions League. Simultaneously, Porto slipped at home to PSV, 0‑1. Lille fell 2‑4 to Galatasaray and Lens beat Bruges 3‑0, but neither could match PSG’s triumph the next night. Sporting also stumbled, losing 2‑3 to Austria’s Linz.
Thursday flipped the script. None of the three French clubs in the Europa proved victorious: Marseille lost 1‑0 to Sturm Graz, Lyon fell 3‑0 at Hoffenheim, and Rennes salvaged a 2‑2 draw with Juventus. Portuguese sides fared better—Benfica thumped Omonia Nicosia 4‑1 and Torreense were beaten 4‑1 by Ferencvaros. In the Conference League, Monaco triumphed 3‑0 over Fribourg and Braga won 2‑0 against Gent.
Will the French clubs rally enough to protect their UEFA standing?
The result? Despite mediocre overall records, French teams missed the chance to widen the gap after a modest gain last week. A week ago France led by 3.746 points; today the margin shrinks to 3.660 (71.010 versus 67.350). For my money, France must seize home games to stop the slide.
France’s lead has eroded since the strong 2021‑22 campaign, which yielded 18.416 points against Portugal’s 12.916. The UEFA coefficient smooths five‑season results. This season, Portugal shows better form, tallying 7.100 points to France’s 5.928.
The stakes are high: fifth place secures seven European berths—four Champions League spots (including a preliminary slot), two Europa spots and one Conference spot. Sixth place loses a slot and only two clubs (one directly) reach the lucrative 2027‑28 Champions League.