France slip further from fourth in UEFA ranking after Lyon and Lille go out | OneFootball

France’s bid to reclaim fourth in UEFA’s country ranking has taken a hit, with only Paris and Strasbourg left in Europe and Germany pulling clear in fourth.

According to L'Équipe, Lyon and Lille exited the Europa League on Thursday night, leaving Paris in the Champions League and Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League as the only French clubs into the quarter-finals.

France sit fifth on 81,569 points over the past five seasons. Germany are fourth on 90,595, the gap nudged wider by Bayern Munich, Freiburg and Mainz all progressing in their respective competitions.

Portugal, sixth, are closing in after a flawless round of 16, with Sporting, Porto and Braga all through. The Portuguese total stands at 71,566, having overtaken the Netherlands last week.

More than 11,000 points separated France and Portugal before the second legs of the round of 16. That gap will shrink further at the start of next season, when 2021-2022, in which France outscored Portugal by 5,500, drops out of the calculation.

England lead the ranking on 115,630 points, ahead of Italy on 99,660 and Spain on 95,234. If France finish this European season in fifth, Ligue 1 would keep four Champions League places, including one via qualifying rounds, plus two in the Europa League and one in the Europa Conference League for 2027-2028.

Source: L'Équipe