The Ligue 1 (French: Ligue 1) or Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons (French: Ligue 1 Uber Eats) is a league competition for professional football clubs in France. It was established in its current system in 2002, and is considered one of the elite leagues in the world.
The French League begins in August and ends in May, and starting from the 2023-24 season, it consists of 18 teams, each of which plays 34 matches, for a total of 306 matches per season. Most matches are played on Saturday and Sunday, but a small number of matches are played during... Midweek evenings.
The French Premier League began in the 1932–33 season, and that season was won by Lille. The league continued until 1939. It was stopped due to World War II, then it returned in 1945 after the war ended, and Lille Club won it, and it continues until now. Paris Saint-Germain is the club that has won the most titles, with 12 titles, followed by Saint-Etienne, which has 10 titles. The current champion is Paris Saint-Germain, which won the title in the 2023-24 season.
the date
the beginning
French football resisted professionalism until 1930, until professionalism was licensed in 1930. In July 1930, the French Football Federation voted by 128 votes to 20 with one abstention to initiate professionalism in France. The true founders of professionalism in France are Georges Bayrou, Emmanuel Gambardella and Gabriel Hanot.
The Federation decided to limit professionalism to a limited number of clubs. Then he established a national championship consisting of twenty clubs. Only they could participate in the professional championship in 1932-33. The French Football Federation has set three rules to limit the number of applications for professional status:
The club must have achieved convincing results in the past.
The club must have sufficient cash to balance financial resources.
The club must have at least eight professional players.
Before World War II (1932-1939)
Olympique Lille, winner of the first French championship in 1933.
The first edition of the French professional football championship, called the National Division, was held from 1932 to 1933. The twenty teams were divided into two groups, the North and the South. The matches began on September 11. The first controversy erupted in December after a “scandalous match” won by Olympique de Marseille at Olympique Lille (0-7). A new scandal was soon overshadowed as it was reported that Antibes club Joan-les-Pins tried to buy the match against SC Fives (5-0). The club's coach admitted that he had bribed several Fives players during the final day of the tournament in order to secure victory and qualification to the final; So he was disbarred for life. The club was deducted from points, and was not allowed to play in the tournament final.
At the end of the season, Olympique Lille won the championship and six clubs were relegated to the second division created for the first time.
Only fourteen clubs played the following season. The competition was very close between Sete and Olympique Marseille, SC Fives and Olympique Lille. Sete eventually won the league title.
In 1934, the tournament format was stabilized with sixteen teams. Sochaux dominated with a 17-game unbeaten run between November and April. Sochaux finally claimed the championship title on the final day thanks to a victory over Olympique de Marseille. Olympique Lille dominated the fourth edition, which witnessed a strong competition with Racing Colombe. Despite the noticeable progress in January, Racing Colombe surpassed Olympique Lille in April, and in turn won the league championship.
In the 1936-1937 season, it was necessary for the first time to resort to the difference in goals (scored - conceded) to determine the winner of the league title between Olympique Marseille and Sochaux, who were equal on points. Marseille won, which had a goals average of 1.76 compared to Sochaux's 1.33. In 1937-38, Sochaux won the league title and was then runner-up to Olympique de Marseille. In the 1938-39 season, the seventh edition of the tournament and the last before World War II, Sete won the league title, ahead of Olympique de Marseille and Racing.
Due to World War II, football activities were suspended by the French government, although member clubs continued to play in regional competitions. Professionalization was abolished by the Vichy regime and clubs were forced to participate in regional championships, known as the Southern Zone and the Northern Zone.
Post-World War II period (1945-1952)
After the end of the war and the liberation of France, professional football returned to France. The First Division brought the number of clubs to 18. Lille is the best club of the post-war period. The club won its first title in 1946, ahead of Saint-Etienne, which ranked second. Roubaix Tourquin won the 1947 title by four points at Stade Reims. Olympique Marseille won their third league title ahead of FC Lille and Stade Reims in 1948. In 1949, the youth of Stade Reims won their first title ahead of FC Lille at the end of the season. In 1950, it was Girondins Bordeaux's turn to win the title, despite their recent promotion to the first division, due to the team containing an invincible defence. Before Nice, led by Jesu Amalfi, won two league titles in 1951 and 1952.
Control of Reims Stadium (1952-1963)
Hassan Aksabi in a Reims shirt in 1963.
Under the leadership of Albert Pato since 1950, Stade de Reims declared itself as a championship title contender from 1952. The club has never been lower than fourth place since 1945. The club implemented a policy of recruiting young talent and training which paid off with the emergence of striker Pierre Sinibaldi. The stars of this period were playmaker Raymond Kopa, captain Robert Junquit and Armand Benverne. In 1953, the Stade Reims team won the championship unopposed, presenting the best attack and the best defence. At the end of the mos