Following matchday 19 out of 22, we now know the three French teams that have qualified for the UEFA Women’s Champions League season 2022/23
Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Football Club will represent France in next season’s tournament. It is a welcomed returned for Paris FC who last qualified back in 2011/12 when they were a semi-professional team named Juvisy. They were absorbed by Paris FC as they could not cope with the financial pressure as women’s football started to work towards professional football and their set-up was not allowing them to compete any more.
With three games to play Lyon have 55 points, Paris Saint-Germain have 50 points and Paris FC have 44 points. It means, the teams are extremely likely to finish in the current standing meaning Lyon would qualify directly for the Group stage as champions, PSG for the qualifying round 2 and PFC for the qualifying round 1.
In theory, France could even have two teams going straight to the group stage, if the 2021/22 Champions League winner is French and does not win the D1 Arkema ie PSG win the Champions League and Lyon wins the D1 Arkema. This is unlikely because Barcelona are extremely strong.
The title race is also a done deal because Lyon only need one point out of three games to be crowned champions. Should Lyon and Paris SG finish level on points, the first tie-breaker is head to head result. And there it is, Lyon beat Paris SG 6-1 on matchday 8. The game came straight after the Hamraoui attack. The turmoil that ensued with the Diallo arrest and all the other players partners and agents being accused along a famous world cup runner-up cheating on his wife with Hamraoui meant that PSG were not in good shape going into the game, and it showed. Paris SG will not beat Lyon by six goals unless something unusual happens.
In the race for the runner-up place, Paris SG need three points in three games because they have the head to head results having won four points in the games against Paris FC versus one point.
At the bottom of the table, five teams are fighting to avoid one of the two relegation places. Guingamp, Dijon, Issy, Soyaux and St-Etienne. Dijon and Issy lost to Bordeaux and PSG, two expected results. Guingamp had a huge 3-1 win at St-Etienne. It puts them four points clear of Soyaux, currently in the relegation place and eight points clear of St- Etienne who are at the bottom of the table and very likely to go down now. Soyaux lost at home to Reims to stay rooted to the second relegation place and they trail Dijon and Issy by three points now.
A key postponed game will be played today with St-Etienne at home to Dijon. Any other result that a win would leave St-Etienne in huge trouble and needing nine points in the last three games.
The teams coming up from the D2 will be Rodez who won group B last Sunday and in Group A, it will be either Nantes, Le Havre or Lille. Those are three historic men club who have started investing money in their women’s team. Le Havre are at home to Nantes on Sunday in what could be the title decider.
The upcoming three matchdays in D1 will be exciting and it is shame that the FFF has not managed to get more exposure to the League around the world.
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