PSG ranks fourth in UEFA ranking as France surpasses Spain

PSG has secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, solidifying its place among Europe's elite.

It's been three years... Three years since PSG last progressed past the Champions League round of 16. This Tuesday, the Rouge & Bleu confirmed their advancement to the next round in the UCL with a victory over Real Sociedad (2-1).

As a result, the Parisians will once again enter the competition's quarter-finals and will learn their next opponent on Friday, March 15th. Despite disappointing results in recent seasons on the European stage, Paris Saint-Germain remains consistent in advancing to the Champions League's final stages, keeping them among the continent's strong clubs.

PSG among European elite

With their European performances, Paris Saint-Germain is firmly positioned in fourth place in the UEFA ranking, results since the 2019/2020 season. The capital club trails behind Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid but surpasses teams like Liverpool (5th), Inter (6th), Chelsea (9th), and Barcelona (12th).

These positive figures allow France to secure fifth place in the UEFA nation ranking ahead of Portugal, thereby guaranteeing 7 European slots for the upcoming 24/25 season (3 Ligue 1 clubs will be directly involved in the UCL + 1 in the preliminary rounds; the fifth-place finisher in the league will qualify for the Europa League along with the winner of the French Cup; and the sixth will be relegated to the Conference League).

France dominates Spain in 2023-2024

These figures are even more exceptional and reflect the excellent form of French clubs in European competitions. Thanks to the combined successes of PSG in the UCL, Olympique de Marseille in the UEL against Villarreal (4-0), and LOSC in the UECL against Sturm Graz (3-0), French representatives have already amassed 14.416 points in the UEFA club coefficient... considering that France had only garnered 12.583 points throughout the entire 2022-2023 season in Europe.

These impressive results propel Ligue 1 to fourth place in the current UEFA ranking ahead of Spain, for the first time. Spanish clubs will have to rely on a miracle from Atlético against Inter (0-1), an unsecured qualification from FC Barcelona against Napoli (1-1), or even an (improbable) comeback from Villarreal to try to change the tide.