Ligue 1 is a professional club-level football league and is the top tier of French football.
Although Ligue 1 is based in France, it is actually a cross-border competition due to the inclusion of AS Monaco in the league. Ligue 1 clubs regularly compete in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. Due to the money recently invested in a few of the league’s clubs, some of the world’s greatest players have played in Ligue 1 including Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.
Ligue 1 has been won by 19 clubs throughout its history, 8 of which have lifted the title on 6 or more occasions. Paris Saint-Germain have become the dominant force in Ligue 1 since their takeover in 2011. The Parisians have assembled some of the world’s best players into a fashionable team befitting the glitz and glamour of the French capital, and their matches are often attended by stars and celebrities from all over.
📜 Ligue 1 History
The league was founded in 1932 under the name National before being renamed Division 1 a year later, and it operated under that name until it was rebranded as Ligue 1 in 2002. Initially, there were 20 inaugural French football teams which were divided into 2 groups of 10 with the worst-performing 3 from each group being relegated to Division 2. The winners of each group would face each other in a final to find the overall league champion.
During World War II, football was suspended in France, and professionalism was abolished to allow for some amateur leagues to continue. Following the end of the war, professional football was reinstated.
💯 Ligue 1 Format & Scoring
There are 18 football clubs in Ligue 1 and every season they play each other home and away for a total of 34 football matches apiece, with 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a defeat. Teams are ranked on points, then goal difference, and then goals scored.
The top 3 clubs qualify for the UEFA Champions League, while the bottom 2 are automatically relegated to the French league’s second tier, Ligue 2, and are replaced by 2 promoted teams. The team that finishes 3rd-from-bottom plays a Ligue 2 playoff-winner in a 2-legged playoff, and the winner plays in Ligue 1 the following season. The league was reduced from 20 teams to 18 for the 2023/24 season, so in the 2022/23 campaign, 4 teams were relegated and there were no playoffs.
The team that finishes 4th qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, as does the team that finishes 5th if the winners of the Coupe de France also finish in the 4 top teams. In those circumstances, the 6th-placed team is awarded qualification to the UEFA Europa Conference League, otherwise, that goes to 5th place.
