RC Strasbourg Alsace's qualification for the Conference League semifinals means that France now has two representatives in the last four of European competitions this season—a result that further consolidates fifth place in the UEFA coefficient rankings for Ligue 1 McDonald's.
By defeating Mainz at La Meinau (4–0), RC Strasbourg Alsace became the 13th French club to reach the semi-finals of a European competition—following PSG, OM, AS Monaco, OL, ASSE, AJ Auxerre, FC Nantes, Bordeaux, Stade de Reims, SC Bastia, RC Lens, and Sochaux.
In the Conference League, the Alsatian club becomes the second to achieve this feat, after OM (in 2021–22, when they were defeated by Feyenoord). This adds significant weight to the overall record of French clubs this season.
Strasbourg’s star. 💎
Strasbourg’s hero. 🌟
JULIO ENCISO. 🇵🇾 pic.twitter.com/ih8q6G7aSj— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 16, 2026
Over the last three seasons, French clubs have reached the semi-finals of one of the three European competitions on five occasions.
2025/26:
Champions League: PSG vs Bayern Munich
Conference League: Strasbourg vs Rayo Vallecano
2024/25:
Champions League: PSG vs Arsenal
2023/24:
Champions League: PSG vs Dortmund
Europa League: OM vs Atalanta
This qualification ensures that France now has two representatives in European semi-finals this season, with Paris Saint-Germain featuring in the Champions League. It is an impressive performance that sees France match Germany and Spain in terms of the number of clubs still in contention—and outperform Italy (zero clubs) and Portugal (one), its main rivals for fifth place in the UEFA rankings.
This result allows France to consolidate fifth in the European country coefficient rankings, opening up a substantial lead over Portugal (sixth), which now trails by 10 points. However, while France matches Germany (4th) in terms of the number of clubs reaching the semifinals, it has not managed to close the gap of nearly 10 points separating them in the overall standings...
For in the current season alone, France holds the sixth-best coefficient, trailing Germany (3rd) by nearly four points.
Our European semi-finalists 🇫🇷⚽️
❤️ PSG
💙 Strasbourg pic.twitter.com/bHwfEayIkP— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 16, 2026
By reaching the semi-finals of the Conference League, Strasbourg has notably established itself as the second-best French club of the season—the team that, behind PSG, has contributed the highest number of points to France's UEFA coefficient. With more still to come.
Points by club for the 2025/26 season:
Paris SG: 35.000
RC Strasbourg: 23.000
OL: 22.000
AS Monaco: 16.000
LOSC: 12.750
OM: 12.000
OGC Nice: 2.000
Another positive outcome of this qualification for Strasbourg is that RCSA has secured a spot in the Top 100 of the UEFA Club Rankings. Bolstered by its third consecutive qualification for the Champions League semifinals, PSG remains the highest-ranked French club, currently sitting in fifth place.