Ligue 1

Ligue 1 is the top professional division in France, sharing promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. It reduced from 20 clubs to 18 for the 2023-24 season, chiefly to ease calendar congestion and raise the quality of individual fixtures.

Its clearest reputation is for producing young players. A large number of French clubs run strong academies and regularly sell players in their early twenties to other European leagues, which makes Ligue 1 a place where players are often seen before they move to a bigger stage.

Eighteen clubs play each other home and away: 34 matches per club and 306 across the season, the same as the Bundesliga. Three points for a win, one for a draw.

Clubs level on points are separated by goal difference first, then goals scored.

Dropping to 18 clubs gives each match more weight than it carried in a 20-club season, and cuts the number of midweek rounds — a point that had been argued over for years before the change was made.

The leading clubs take the UEFA places France's coefficient standing earns it, and the winner of the Coupe de France, the domestic cup, also qualifies for Europe.

At the bottom, the last-placed clubs go down to Ligue 2 directly, and a further place is decided by a play-off between a club just above the drop and one from Ligue 2. Exactly how many go down automatically against through the play-off was adjusted as part of the reduction in league size.

The season runs from mid-August to May, with a winter break across late December and early January.

With fewer matches than a 20-club league, French clubs carry a slightly lighter domestic load, which is an advantage for those playing European football alongside it.

The tabs above separate fixtures, results and the full 18-club table with each side's last five results.

Kick-off times are converted to your local zone, and scores update on their own while matches are in progress.