Ligue 1

Follow all the Ligue 1 news, live action, previews, reviews and transfer updates.

Ligue 1 or the Ligue 1 Conforama is the top-flight of the French professional football league system. Regulated by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, 20 teams contest in the Ligue 1, subject to a system of promotion and relegation with the second division league of the French professional football system known as the Ligue 2.

The seasons start in August and end in May. There is a winter break before Christmas which lasts for 2 weeks before the league resumes in the second week of January.

Ligue 1 was started on the 11^th of September 1932 and its original name was National.

AS Saint Etienne is the most successful team in the Ligue 1 with 10 league titles to their name. AS Monaco are the current champions after winning their 8^th Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season.

Leading winners

Rivalries

Olympique de Marseille vs Paris Saint-Germain

Widely considered to be the ‘French Clasico’, this rivalry between the most populated cities in France did not have much to do with football at first. But the scene changed towards the turn of the millennium but it has somewhat grown colder now that PSG’s financial abilities have grown considerably over the last decade.

Olympique Lyonnais vs Olympique de Marseille

The ‘El Clasico’ of the French league. The rivalry is more about competitiveness than bad blood. Both the teams have been responsible for setting the standards in the French league and have dominated the league in the past.

Olympique de Marseille vs AS Saint-Etienne

The two most successful teams in the French league, Marseille and Saint-Etienne dominated French football in the 60s and 70s. The teams have had contrasting fortunes since then but the rivalry remains fierce.

FC Nantes vs AS Saint-Etienne

Two famous academies known for producing the best players in the country are at the heart of this rivalry. One is ‘Les Verts’ that represented the working class of Saint-Etienne (an industrial city) famous for their high-octane game and ‘Les Canaris’ of Nantes which valued technical abilities over raw athleticism.

Present day scenario

Paris Saint-Germain are unstoppable in the Ligue 1 right now. Owing to their immense financial strength which other clubs can’t dream to rival, PSG have been able to rope in some of the best players in the world right now (read: Neymar, Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti etc.) and become a club that is even considered to be Champions League favourites by several fans and pundits alike.

Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco, Marseille and Lyon are the teams that look set to qualify for the Champions League next season. Teams like Metz, LOSC, Troyes, Toulouse, Amiens SC, Strasbourg, Angers, Caen and even Saint-Etienne are all in danger of facing relegation.