Football in France
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Football in France | |
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![]() The Parc des Princes is the home of Paris Saint-Germain | |
Country | France |
Governing body | FFF |
National team(s) | France (men) • France (women) |
First played | 1863 |
Registered players | 2.1 million[1] |
Clubs | 18,194 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
List
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International competitions | |
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/France_football_1900.jpg/240px-France_football_1900.jpg)
The first football club was introduced to France in 1863 as described in a newspaper article by The Scotsman, which stated "A number of English gentlemen living in Paris have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in the Bois de Boulogne, by permission of the authorities and surprise the French amazingly."[7] Modern football was introduced nine years later in 1872 by English sailors playing in Le Havre in 1872.[8]
Today, football in France is especially being played successfully by people of non-European origin, in particular
France is a football superpower; by its footballers playing around the world, according to the
League system
Ligue de Football Professionnel
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Stade_V%C3%A9lodrome_%2820150405%29.jpg/220px-Stade_V%C3%A9lodrome_%2820150405%29.jpg)
The top two divisions of French football, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, are governed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The league is responsible for organizing, overseeing and managing the top two leagues and is also responsible for the 38 professional football clubs that contest football in France (18 in Ligue 1 and 20 in Ligue 2).[13][14][15]
Ligue 1 is the French professional league for football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. Ligue 1 is one of the top national leagues, currently ranked fifth in Europe behind the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, and the German Bundesliga. Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. The current champions of France are Paris Saint-Germain, who won a record twelfth title in 2024.
Ligue 2 is the second division of French football. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National. The league was created in 1934, a year after Ligue 1 and consisted of 23 clubs that were divided into two groups, Nord and Sud.
Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain ranked fourth place in the top ten most popular sports clubs on social media in the world as of 7 February 2024:[16]
Rank | Football club | Country | Followers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Real Madrid | Spain | 360.5 million |
2 | Barcelona | Spain | 318.8 million |
3 | Manchester United | England | 207 million |
4 | Paris Saint-Germain | France | 163 million |
5 | Juventus | Italy | 147.4 million |
6 | Manchester City | England | 139.7 million |
7 | Chelsea | England | 136.7 million |
8 | Liverpool | England | 131.6 million |
9 | Bayern Munich | Germany | 126.5 million |
10 | Arsenal | England | 99.2 million |
Championnat National
The Championnat National is the third division of French football. Though the league has several clubs that are members of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, it is not governed by the organization primarily because of the LFP's refusal to divide its profits into smaller shares, so they can collaborate with the many amateur clubs in the league to help them become professional. The French Football Federation moderates the league, which was founded in 1993 under the name National 1. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of
Championnat National 2
The Championnat National 2 is the fourth division of French football and normally features 72 football clubs. Most clubs that participate in the league are amateur clubs, but a small number of clubs are semi-professional. The CFA consists of 72 clubs spread into 4 parallel groups of 18. It is open to the best reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France, although only the amateur clubs are eligible for promotion to the Championnat National. The highest-placed amateur team in each pool are promoted, replaced by the 4 lowest-placed in the Championnat National.
Championnat National 3
The Championnat National 3 is the 5th division in French football and normally consists of 168 teams in 12 groups of 14 organised to align with the regional leagues. The twelve teams (both amateur and reserves of professional teams in higher divisions) that top their league are promoted to Championnat National 2. Relegation from Championnat National 3 is defined by both position in the group and the region the club belongs to. Normally, one club is relegated to each regional league that feeds that group.
Lower divisions
Some of regional leagues are organised and managed by the Ligue du Football Amateur. The LFA, under the watch of the French Football Federation, is responsible for administering and federating the actions of the regional and district leagues.
Women's football
Division 1 Féminine
It is contested by 12 clubs. The league operates on a system of promotion and relegation with lower leagues and is governed by the French Football Federation. The league is known as D1 Arkema. Lyon has won the most league titles at 16.
Lower divisions
Overseas leagues
The leagues based in the
Cup competitions
The most important cup competition in France is the Coupe de France. However, several other national cups are targeted at clubs at different levels.
- The overseas departments and territories. The final is played at the Stade de France and, during the 2016–17 season, celebrated its 100th anniversary.
- The Coupe de la Ligue was the second major cup competition in France. It was known outside France as the French League Cup and was a knockout league cup competition organised by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. Unlike the Coupe de France, it was only open to professional clubs who were members of the LFP. The competition was discontinued in 2020 to prevent fixture congestion.
- The Trophée des Champions is played each July as a one-off match between the Coupe de France winners and the Ligue 1 champions.
- Regional amateur leagues of France organise their own cup competitions that are run by the French Football Federation. For example, the Coupe Bourgogne only features amateur clubs that are based in the region of Burgundy.
- Men's youth cups include the Coupe Nationale, and the Coupe Fédérale. The Coupe Gambardella cup competition held between the under-19s of the French football clubs. The Coupe Nationale holds dual competitions for the under-13 and under-15 teams of football clubs, while the Coupe Fédérale holds a national cup competition for under-16 teams.
- The Coupe de l'Outre-Mer is a football cup competition that was created in 2008. It was designed to have the national football teams of the overseas territories compete against each other
Women's
- The Coupe de France féminine, a premier cup competition reserved exclusively for French football clubs. The competition is open to all professional and non-professional teams in the country.
- Trophée des Championnes, an annual match between the league champions of Division 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. The league runners-up play if the same team won the league and the cup.
- Coupe Nationale
- Coupe Fédérale
- The Coupe National holds a youth cup competition for the under-14 teams, while the Coupe Fédérale holds cup competitions for the under-13 and under-16 teams.
Competition records
UEFA Champions League
The following teams have qualified for the last eight of the European Cup / UEFA Champions League.
- 2011–12– Quarter-finals)
- Monaco (1993–94 – Semi-finals, 1997–98 – Semi-finals, 2003–04 – Runners-up, 2016–17 – Semi-finals)
- Saint-Étienne (1974–75 – Semi-finals, 1975–76 – Runners-up, 1976–77 – Quarter-finals)
- Lyon (2003–04 – Quarter-finals, 2004–05 – Quarter-finals, 2005–06 – Quarter-finals, 2009–10 – Semi-finals, 2019–20 – Semi-finals)
- – Quarter-finals)
- Bordeaux (1984–85 – Semi-finals, 2009–10 – Quarter-finals)
- Paris Saint-Germain (1994–95 – Semi-finals, 2012–13 – Quarter-finals, 2013–14 – Quarter-finals, 2015–16 – Quarter-finals, 2019–20 – Runners-up, 2020–21 – Semi-finals)
- Nantes (1995–96 – Semi-finals)
- Auxerre (1996–97 – Quarter-finals)
UEFA Women's Champions League
- Lyon (Winners: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22. Runners-up: 2009–10, 2012–13. Quarter-finals: 2020–21, 2022–23.)
- .)
- Paris FC (Semi-finals: 2012–13. Quarter-finals: 2010–11.)
- Montpellier (Quarter-finalists: 2009–10, 2017–18.)
National teams
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Zidane_Zizu.jpg/175px-Zidane_Zizu.jpg)
The
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Eug%C3%A9nie_Le_Sommer_P1740536_%2847963889411%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/175px-Eug%C3%A9nie_Le_Sommer_P1740536_%2847963889411%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The
The France national youth football teams consists of age-specific national teams beginning with the France national under-16 football team and ending with the France national under-21 football team. Since the coaching tenure of Aimé Jacquet, there is an unwritten rule among senior national team coaches that players called up to the national team must have had prior international experience with the under-21 team.
Overseas departments national teams
The following
National team | Elo Ranking | Manager | Stadium | Member Association(s) |
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French Guiana | 159 | ![]() |
Stade de Baduel
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CONCACAF and CFU |
Guadeloupe | 91 | ![]() |
Stade René Serge Nabajoth | CONCACAF and CFU |
Martinique | 115 | Theodore Antonin
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Stade d'Honneur de Dillon
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CONCACAF and CFU |
Réunion | 138 | TBD | Stade Jean-Ivoula | CAF |
Saint Martin | 193 | ![]() |
TBD | CONCACAF and CFU |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Lilian_Thuram_-_001.jpg/120px-Lilian_Thuram_-_001.jpg)
As an overseas department of the French Republic, each national team is not a member of FIFA, therefore they are not eligible to enter the World Cup. However, since inhabitants of the overseas departments are French citizens, players are eligible to play for the France national football team. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and French Guiana are associate members of CONCACAF and are full members of the Caribbean Football Union, and are thus eligible for all competitions organized by both, while Réunion are associate members of CAF. Indeed, according to the status of the FFF (article 34, paragraph 6): "[...]Under the control of related continental confederations, and with the agreement of the FFF, those leagues can organize international sport events at a regional level or set up teams in order to participate to them."
A special rule of the CONCACAF Gold Cup only allows players to join the team if they have not played for France during the previous five years. On the other hand, any player joining the team is allowed to join the France national team afterward with no time restrictions.
The use of
French football stadiums
Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included.
# | Image | Stadium | Capacity | City | Region | Home Team | Opened | Notes |
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1 | ![]() |
Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | Île-de-France | France national football team | 1998 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
2 | ![]() |
Stade Vélodrome | 67,394 | Marseille | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Olympique de Marseille | 1937 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
3 | ![]() |
Parc Olympique Lyonnais | 59,186 | Décines-Charpieu | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Olympique Lyonnais | 2016 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
4 | ![]() |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy | 50,157 | Villeneuve-d'Ascq | Hauts-de-France | Lille OSC | 2012 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
5 | ![]() |
Parc des Princes | 48,583 | Paris | Île-de-France | Paris Saint-Germain FC |
1972 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
6 | ![]() |
Matmut Atlantique | 42,115 | Bordeaux | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
2015 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
7 | ![]() |
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | 41,965 | Saint-Étienne | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | AS Saint-Étienne | 1931 |
List of club owners
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(February 2024) |
Ligue 1
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Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth | Source of wealth |
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Brest | ![]() |
Fruits and Vegetables | |
Clermont | ![]() |
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Le Havre | ![]() |
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Lens | ![]() ![]() |
Investments | |
Lille | ![]() |
Investments | |
Lorient | ![]() ![]() |
300 M€ | Investments |
Lyon | ![]() ![]() |
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Marseille | ![]() |
1,2 Mds$ | Sport investments |
Metz | ![]() |
Steel Products | |
Monaco
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![]() |
7,4 Mds$ | Specialized chemicals, investments |
Montpellier | ![]() |
150 M€ | Waste management |
Nantes | ![]() ![]() |
170 M€ | Optical |
Nice | ![]() |
Chemical industries | |
Paris | ![]() ![]() |
9.0 B$[citation needed] | Gas & oil |
Reims | ![]() |
Transport | |
Rennes
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Francois Pinault
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23 Mds€ | Luxury |
Strasbourg | Clearlake Capital Group
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Toulouse
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Investments |
Ligue 2
Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth | Source of wealth |
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Ajaccio | ![]() |
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Amiens | ![]() |
Retail | |
Angers | ![]() |
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Annecy | ![]() |
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Auxerre
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Bastia | ![]() |
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Bordeaux
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Gérard Lopez
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Investments | |
Caen | Oaktree Capital
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Investments | |
Concarneau | |||
Dunkerque | ![]() |
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Grenoble | ![]() |
Supermarket | |
Guingamp | ![]() |
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Laval | ![]() |
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Paris FC
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Pau | ![]() |
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Quevilly | ![]() |
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Rodez | ![]() |
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Saint-Étienne
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Troyes | ![]() |
Sport investments | |
Valenciennes
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National
Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth | Source of wealth |
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Chateauroux
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![]() ![]() |
Sport Investments | |
Dijon | ![]() |
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Le Mans | ![]() |
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Nancy
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Sport Investments | |
Nîmes | ![]() |
Telecommunications | |
Niort
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Red Star | ![]() |
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Sedan | ![]() |
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Rouen | ![]() |
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Sochaux | ![]() |
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Versailles | ![]() |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Le budget et les chiffres clés". French Football Federation. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)(the last successful archive is 2021 statistics: 1.9 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 15,000 clubs.) - ^ "Popular sports in France". Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Sport in France". Topend Sports. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ TGM Research. "TGM Euro Survey in France 2024". TGM Research. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "A French paradox: multicultural celebrities are popular, but so is Le Pen". The Independent. January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "France's Aversion To Its National Soccer Team". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ The Scotsman newspaper, 22 December 1863, page 8
- ^ "History of Football". Ifhof.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "La place du sport dans les quartiers populaires". Impulsion. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Who Wins When France Claims the World Cup?". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Brazil breaks ranking record of exported players. France rank second, England fourth". 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "Number of men's professional soccer players worldwide in 2021, by country of origin". 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- ^ "In France Paris St. Germain Is A League Apart". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ Inti Landauro and William Horobin (25 October 2013). "Top French Soccer Clubs Call Tax Strike". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ WSC Daily. "When Saturday Comes – Victory for French fans over TV scheduling". Wsc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ https://jobsinfootball.com/blog/most-supported-football-clubs-in-the-world/
- ^ "France's Aversion To Its National Soccer Team". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
External links
- Official website – FFF