At the start of the 2021-22 season, the released UEFA Coefficient showed Ligue 1 had dropped to sixth place in the Champions League after being overtaken by the Portuguese League. Their fall lasted little over two weeks as they moved back to fifth after Paris Saint Germain signed Leo Messi on a free transfer.  Two years since and the quality in the League has only regressed. PSG remain the only quality side in Europe and they’ve failed to make it past the last 16 in the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. The other French sides have either finished bottom of the table or finished third and failed to make it past the Europa League play-off.

Within the league, the quality is lacking. Sides like Lyon, Marseille and Monaco look like a shadow of the side they were a few seasons ago. Lille who won the league less than two years ago have slowly chipped away from the top of the league. PSG haven’t been at their best of late but there’s little challenge in the league to compete with their talent and consistency.

The last time a French team made it to the Champions League quarter-finals was PSG in 2021 and before was a year before when both PSG and Lyon made it to the semi-finals. Compared to the Portuguese League has had either Benfica or Porto make the last eight in the competition. It was the same thing this season with Benfica making the Quater-Finals while  Porto narrowly missed out on Inter Milan. Sporting Lisbon who fell to the Europa League got the best of Premier League leaders, Arsenal and are on course for a stellar campaign in Europe.

While the Portuguese league has only improved over the past few years, the French League has gone in the opposite direction, It wouldn’t be a surprise if Ligue 1 drops to sixth in league rank when UEFA release the coefficient next season.