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Ligue 1

France · Domestic league

Professional since
1932
Clubs
18 (since 2023–24)
Record champions
Paris Saint-Germain
Relegation
2 clubs + play-off

Ligue 1 is the top flight of French football and has been played professionally since 1932. The league was cut from 20 clubs to 18 in 2023–24, so each team now plays 34 matches between August and May; the bottom two are relegated and the 16th-placed club faces a play-off against a Ligue 2 side.

Paris Saint-Germain are the record champions and have dominated the last decade, adding the Champions League in 2025 to their domestic haul. Marseille, Saint-Étienne, Monaco, Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux and Lille are the other big names of French football, and Saint-Étienne’s ten titles stood as the record until PSG passed them.

Ligue 1 is renowned as a producer of talent: a large share of the players in Europe’s biggest leagues came through French academies. The top clubs qualify for the Champions League, and the Trophée des Champions pits the champion against the Coupe de France winner. Golalarm covers every Ligue 1 match with live scores, lineups, statistics and player ratings.

MatchesStandingsTop players

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