Winner of Moldovan Sheriff Tiraspol in the round of 16 of the Europa League Conference (1-0, 3-1), the third level of the European Football Cups, OGC Nice travels to Swiss FC Basel on Thursday April 13. The last representatives of the French clubs in Europe this season, the Aiglons will have the mission of preserving France’s fifth place in the UEFA ranking, which is high in stakes. Back to how this system works.
The coefficient assigned to each country, also called the UEFA index, makes it possible to classify the European championships according to the performance of their clubs in continental events. It is based on the results of three European competitions: the Champions League (C1), the Europa League (C3) and, since 2021, the Europa League Conference (C4).
Established in 1955, the method of calculation that determines this classification has changed a lot over time. It was reformed for the last time during the 2009-2010 season. For thirteen years, the UEFA index has corresponded to the ratio between the number of points scored by the clubs of the same country and the number of teams from this country engaged in C1, C3 and C4. A ranking is then established by adding the indices of the last five years.
Teams get points based on their results in European Cups. For example, a win is worth two points, while a draw is worth one and a loss zero. Other points are also awarded when clubs reach a certain stage in the competition: in the Champions League, entering the group stage as well as qualifying for the round of 16 earns four points. Therefore, in C1 and C3, each new step taken brings a bonus point. For the C4, this advantage is only acquired from the semi-finals.
This year, the UEFA index is being watched closely by French clubs. Indeed, following a decision made in 2022 by UEFA, the format of its major competition, the Champions League, will change. During the 2024-2025 season, there will be a group stage bringing together 36 teams – and no longer 32 as in the past – divided into four groups of nine. Main consequence of this reform: new places in C1 for certain countries, according to their position in the European classification.
France now occupies fifth place, with a coefficient of 60.997. A position which theoretically allows him to send three teams directly to the Champions League, one more than currently, without any of them having to go through qualifications. But the position occupied by France is increasingly fragile. It is closely followed by the Netherlands (58.900) and Portugal (55.882), which are getting dangerously close. This year is all the more important as the results of the 2023-2024 European campaign will not be taken into account in the final ranking. Enough to tighten the noose around the very last European matches of the season.
This year, the results of French clubs in European competitions are likely to be worse than those of competing countries. Before the C4 quarter-final between OGC Nice and FC Basel, France has a coefficient of 12.416 for the 2022-2023 season. A total slightly lower than that of the Netherlands (12.5). This gap could widen, as two Dutch clubs are still in the race: Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Europa League and AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League Conference. While OGC Nice is the last French team competing in the European Cup.
Above all, the ranking being established over the last five years, the tricolor clubs suffer in 2023 the erasure of the points scored during the 2017-2018 season. During this exercise, France had notably benefited from the accession to the final of the Europa League of Olympique de Marseille. During this same 2017-2018 season, the Netherlands had achieved the worst score in their recent history, with a coefficient of 2.9. A poor performance that will therefore disappear from the shelves.
In the event of a disaster scenario and early elimination of the Nice, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord Rotterdam would have to glean eleven additional points to put the Netherlands ahead of France in the standings. A total that would be obtained if the two clubs each reach the final of their respective competitions.
Other foreign competitors could however play the spoilsports, and block the road to the Dutch teams. In a raised Europa League this year, Manchester United, Juventus Turin or Sporting Portugal could then be the best allies of French football.
