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About 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 Professional, 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 11th 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 8th Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season.
Leading Ligue 1 winners
Ligue 1 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
After failing to win the Ligue 1 title last year, Paris Saint-Germain made their fans happy as they managed to clinch the Ligue 1 title for the 2021-22 season. Les Parisiens topped the league table with 86 points from 38 games played. Mauricio Pochettino's side managed to win 26 games during the 2021-22 season and as a result they had a big lead of 15 points over 2nd placed Marseille. However, PSG was only able to shine domestically as they yet again failed to win the UEFA Champions League.
PSG will once again seek to win their holy grail in the upcoming season of Champions League as Les Parisiens, Marseille and AS Monaco are the three sides qualified for the competition. Monaco finished third in the points table with 69 points, just 3 points above 4th placed Stade Rennais. Saint-Étienne, FC Metz, and Bordeaux are three clubs that got relegated to the lower division as they finished in the last 3 positions of the points table.
