French football clubs, Portuguese football clubs and UEFA
16 October 2026
France face a significant threat to their European competition allocations as Portugal closes the gap in UEFA’s five-year association coefficient rankings. France remain fifth with 70.296 points, ahead of sixth-placed Portugal on 66.550, but the difference has narrowed considerably compared with last season.
French clubs collected four European victories during the latest round, while Portuguese teams had mixed results. Losing a strong 2021-22 coefficient season has weakened France’s five-year total. If Portugal overtake France, the French league could lose two Champions League places for the 2027-28 season, reducing its overall European allocation from seven clubs to six under the reported qualification structure.