Why did Ligue 1 drop out of the top 5 European leagues?

The poor performance of French clubs and talent bleeding caused Ligue 1 to lose its position in the top 5 leagues.

UEFA has just released the UEFA coefficient rankings for the top European championships. For the first time in eight years, Ligue 1 dropped from fifth place, now belonging to the Dutch Eredivisie championship. The remaining four positions, despite fluctuations, still belong to the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga.

UEFA ranks member federations by coefficients. First published in 1979, the UEFA coefficient table is an important factor in determining the number of teams participating in the European Cups including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. This stat applies to the next season, not the season immediately after being published. So the 2023 rating will determine the team allocation by each league for the 2024-2025 season (not the 2023-2024 season). UEFA calculates the coefficient and publishes the data from 1956 to present.

The UEFA coefficient is calculated based on the results of clubs from each confederation in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League over the last five seasons. Each win counts for two points, a draw is worth one point (qualifying matches also count but only half). Extra-time matches are scored as normal, but penalty shoot-outs are counted as a draw.

- Second place in the group (2 points for Europa League, 1 point for Conference League).

- Enter the round of 16 (5 points for the Champions League, 1 point for the Europa League).

- Reach the quarter-finals (1 point for Champions League and Europa League).

- Reach semi-final or final (1 point for Champions League, Europa League and Conference League).

UEFA uses this coefficient to decide which team goes directly to the group stage and which has to play in the qualifying round. The top 4 of the top four leagues, the top 2 of the 5th and 6th divisions, and the winners of the 7th to 10th divisions are directly into the next season's Champions League group stage.

The UEFA coefficient rankings also show how the strength of the leagues fluctuates from year to year. La Liga leads for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2020, but since then, under the impact of Covid-19, this position belongs to the English Premier League although Real Madrid still won the Champions League 2021-2022. Third and fourth places are usually the competition between Serie A and the Bundesliga and Italian clubs are winning.

The reason why Ligue 1 dropped out of the top five European leagues. When it comes to the top five European championships, people usually think of the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. However, for various reasons, Ligue 1 is gradually losing its status. .

The first is the poor performance of French clubs in the European Cup, especially the Champions League and Europa League. Last season, the flagship of Ligue 1 PSG was eliminated by Bayern in the 1/8 round of the Champions League, and Marseille was at the bottom of the table. Monaco, Nantes and Rennes were all eliminated in the first knockout round of the Europa League. Nice is the only French club to win the knockout round of the European Cup, reaching the quarter-finals of the Conference League. If calculating the coefficient scores for the 2022-2023 season alone, Ligue 1 is only seventh with 12,583 points, behind Belgium and the Netherlands.

Compared to other top European leagues, Ligue 1 clubs lack stability. In addition to the regular PSG championship, the position of other clubs is difficult to predict. Monaco won the 2017 Ligue 1 title, but two years later nearly relegated and then finished third in the 2020-2021 season. Even PSG is unstable, but the difference with other teams is so large that they do not have much pressure.

Mbappe's departure could be a great loss not only for PSG but also for Ligue 1. Photo: AFP

Mbappe's departure could be a great loss not only for PSG but also for Ligue 1. Photo: AFP

France is the birthplace of the top players in world football. But many of these people choose to leave Ligue 1 to join clubs in the English Premier League or La Liga. Talent bleeding makes French clubs unable to keep the star in the league. This summer, PSG could not convince Lionel Messi to sign a new contract. They are also in danger of losing the number one star Kylian Mbappe when the 24-year-old striker announced that he will not renew and will leave freely next year.

Ligue 1 clubs also lag behind the top leagues in terms of squad depth and experience. The fluctuating European Cup spots are also a barrier for clubs to maintain a competitive squad. Even within Ligue 1, the disparity between clubs is huge. The UEFA coefficient table for clubs for the last five seasons shows this gap. PSG is fourth but the next Ligue 1 club Lyon is 37th.

In addition to the risk of losing a place in the European Cup in the following seasons, falling out of the top five leagues signals the risk of a decline in prestige with Ligue 1. Clubs in this tournament will face more challenges in getting Attract good players or retain stars like what is happening with PSG in the Mbappe case.