Ligue 1 explained
France's top division: a league best known for Paris Saint-Germain's dominance and for producing some of the world's best young players.
The format
Since the 2023–24 season Ligue 1 has had 18 teams, who play each other home and away. The bottom two are relegated to Ligue 2, and the team finishing 16th plays a play-off against a Ligue 2 side.
The big clubs
- Paris Saint-Germain: France's most successful club in recent years and now the record title holder.
- Marseille: the only French club to have won the Champions League (1993), with famously passionate fans.
- Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Monaco and Lille: each has had its own era at the top.
A talent factory
France's academies, above all the national centre at Clairefontaine, produce a steady stream of players, and Ligue 1 clubs regularly sell them on to England, Spain and Germany. Watching Ligue 1 is often a way to see future stars early.