Champions League, Europa League… The scenario that will send 8 French clubs to Europe next year

From the 2024/25 season, 36 clubs will participate in the “league stage” of the Champions League (formerly group stage), giving four more teams the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

The French Championship will benefit from this as four teams will now qualify for the Champions League (C1): the first three directly for the league phase, the fourth in the 3.^e preliminary round. Three other French clubs will play in a European Cup: the 5th in the Europa League Championship, the 6th in the Europa Conference League and the winner of the Coupe de France in the Europa League. An exception to this rule: if PSG, already champions of France, win the Old Lady, 6th place will be a qualification for the Europa League and 7th for the Europa Conference League. The same if Lyon lift the cup on May 25 and finish in the top six of Ligue 1.

But thanks to OM’s progress in C3 this season, an eighth club could join French chances on the European stage from September.

An extra place if OM wins the Europa League?

In the event of a final victory for the Phocaeans in the Europa League, France will have five representatives in C1 next season given that the winner of C3 goes directly to the Champions League next season. A condition for that. OM must not qualify for a European Cup via the championship explains the Professional Football League (LFP). In this case we have one more place in the Champions League (4 including OM in the league phase + 1 in the 3rd preliminary round) and we keep the rest in the Europa League (2) and the Europa Conference League (1 ), making a total of 8 clubs in UEFA competitions.

However, an OM winner in C3 and appearing in the European places will not offer further placements for the Europa League or the Europa Conference League. The championship will lose the place that OM had acquired in the championship for UEL or UECL explains LFP.

Last point. A Parisian victory in C1 would not give France one more place. This will go to the club with the highest UEFA index among the winners of the championships ranked from 11th to 55th. At the moment it is Shakhtyor Donetsk.