Ligue 1 Standings

Ligue 1 Standings: Table, Format and Places Explained

This page shows the current Ligue 1 standings and explains exactly what the table tells you. Ligue 1 is the top division of French football, and the table below updates automatically as each round of the 2026/27 season is played — so you are always looking at the live order, points won and matches played. Under the table you will find how the 18 clubs are ranked, which positions earn a Champions League, Europa League or Conference League place, which drop to Ligue 2, how clubs level on points are separated, the key dates for the season, and how fans in New Zealand can follow it all.

How the Ligue 1 table works

Ligue 1 ranks its 18 clubs on total points, with the highest at the top. Every club plays each of the other 17 teams twice — once at home and once away — for a total of 34 matches across the season. Points are awarded in the standard way: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a defeat. There are no bonus points in French football, so the arithmetic is simple, but the columns beside the points still matter because they decide the order when clubs finish level. If you are new to league tables, our guide on how to read a sports standings table walks through every column, and the standings table abbreviations glossary explains labels such as P, W, D, L, GF, GA, GD and Pts in one place.

What each position in the table means

A club’s final position decides which competition it plays in next season, and whether it stays in Ligue 1 at all. France has seven European places for 2026/27, plus two direct relegation spots and one play-off spot. The sections below set out exactly which finishing places lead where; the summary table collects the same information at a glance.

Champions League places (1st to 4th)

The top three clubs qualify directly for the UEFA Champions League league phase, the main group stage of Europe’s biggest club competition. The club that finishes first is also the French champion. The fourth-placed club enters the Champions League third qualifying round and must win its way through to reach the league phase; if it loses, it drops into the Europa League instead.

Europa League and Conference League places (5th to 7th)

Fifth place earns a spot in the UEFA Europa League league phase. Sixth place goes to a UEFA Conference League play-off round, one step short of that competition’s league phase. One extra place comes from the Coupe de France, France’s main knockout cup: the cup winner also earns a European berth, and if that club has already qualified through its league position, the place rolls down the table. In practice that can push a Conference League play-off spot down to seventh. Because the cup result is not known until late in the season, the exact cut-off for the lower European places can move by one position.

Relegation and the play-off (16th to 18th)

The two clubs that finish 17th and 18th are relegated directly to Ligue 2, France’s second division. The club in 16th is not safe either: it plays a two-legged relegation/promotion play-off against the winner of the Ligue 2 play-offs, with the loser taking the lower division’s place. Two clubs are promoted up automatically each year to replace those who go down — Troyes and Le Mans came up for 2026/27, while Metz and Nantes dropped out.

How clubs level on points are separated

When two or more clubs finish on the same number of points, Ligue 1 applies a fixed list of tiebreakers in order until the clubs are split. The sequence is:

1. Goal difference across all matches (goals scored minus goals conceded).
2. Points won in the matches between the tied clubs (head-to-head).
3. Goal difference in those head-to-head matches.
4. Total goals scored across the season.
5. Number of wins.
6. Number of away wins.
7. Fair-play record (fewest disciplinary points).
8. A drawing of lots, as a final resort.

The head-to-head steps only apply once all the matches between the tied clubs have been played. This is different from some leagues, which use head-to-head before overall goal difference, so it is worth checking the rule for each competition. For a fuller explanation of how points and tiebreakers work across different sports, see our dedicated guide.

Key dates for the 2026/27 season

The 2026/27 Ligue 1 season opened on Friday 21 August 2026 and finishes on Saturday 29 May 2027. There are 34 rounds in all, played across weekends with no scheduled midweek fixtures this season. A winter break follows Matchday 14 in mid-December, with play resuming on the weekend of 2 January 2027. To keep the finish fair, the final two rounds — Matchday 33 on 22 May and Matchday 34 on 29 May 2027 — are played as a “multiplex”, meaning every match in the round kicks off at the same time. The relegation/promotion play-off is played shortly after the final round.

How the season ends

Ligue 1 has no title play-offs or grand final: the champion is simply the club top of the table after all 34 rounds, and the trophy is decided on points alone. The European places and the two automatic relegation spots are settled the same way, straight off the final table. The only post-season match that affects Ligue 1 is the two-legged play-off involving the 16th-placed club, which decides the last spot in next season’s top flight. Positions can still swing on the final day, which is why the last rounds are played simultaneously.

How to follow Ligue 1 from New Zealand

In New Zealand, Ligue 1 is carried by beIN Sports through its streaming service, beIN Sports Connect, which also shows other European leagues. Plans and pricing change from season to season, so check the current beIN Sports NZ subscription and confirm Ligue 1 is included before signing up. New Zealand runs 10 to 12 hours ahead of France — the exact gap shifts with daylight saving at both ends — so matches generally fall between the early hours and the early afternoon, New Zealand time, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The headline Sunday-evening fixture in France kicks off at roughly 8:45am on Monday in New Zealand during the main winter months. For live scores and the official table you can also follow the competition on the Ligue 1 and LFP websites, which this page draws its figures from.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many teams are in Ligue 1?

There are 18 clubs in Ligue 1. Each plays 34 matches per season, facing every other club once at home and once away.

How many points is a win worth in Ligue 1?

A win is worth 3 points, a draw 1 point and a defeat 0 points. There are no bonus points, so clubs are ranked on total points, highest first.

Which Ligue 1 positions qualify for the Champions League?

The top three clubs go straight into the Champions League league phase, and the fourth-placed club enters the third qualifying round and must win through to reach the league phase.

How are clubs level on points separated in Ligue 1?

Overall goal difference is used first, then head-to-head points and head-to-head goal difference, then total goals scored, wins, away wins, fair-play record and finally a drawing of lots.

How does relegation from Ligue 1 work?

The clubs finishing 17th and 18th are relegated to Ligue 2 automatically, while the 16th-placed club plays a two-legged play-off against a Ligue 2 side to decide the final top-flight place.