Ligue 2
Amazon Prime Video
Ligue 2 (French pronunciation:
Ligue 2 was founded a year after the creation of the first division in 1933 under the name Division 2 and has served as the second division of French football ever since. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. Since the league is a part of the LFP, it allows clubs who are on the brink of professionalism to become so.
History
The second division of French football was established in 1933, one year after the creation of the all-professional first division. The inaugural season of the competition consisted of the six clubs who were relegated following the
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1933–34 | Red Star Saint-Ouen
|
| 1934–35 | CS Metz |
| 1935–36 | Rouen |
| 1936–37 | Lens |
| 1937–38 | Le Havre |
| 1938–39 | Red Star Saint-Ouen
|
Due to several clubs merging, folding, or losing their professional status, the federation turned the second division into a 16-team league and adopted the single-table method for the
In November 2014, the presidents of Caen and Nîmes were amongst several arrested on suspicion of match fixing. The arrests followed a 1–1 draw between Caen and Nîmes in May 2014, a result very beneficial for each club.[1][2]
Competition format
There are 20 clubs in Ligue 2. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then
In December 2021, the majority of LFP member clubs, including Championnat National club leaders, voted to contract Ligue 2 from 20 to 18 clubs for the 2024–25 season. This will happen one year after Ligue 1 itself drops from 20 to 18 teams for the 2023–24 season. The plan is for Ligue 2 to relegate four clubs to, and promote two from, National at the end of 2023–24.[7]
Ligue 2 members (2023–24 season)
Previous winners
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Havre | 6 | 1 | 1937–38, 1958–59, 1984–85, 1990–91, 2007–08, 2022–23 | 1949–50 |
| Nancy | 5 | 1 | 1974–75, 1989–90, 1997–98, 2004–05, 2015–16 | 1969–70 |
| Metz | 4 | 4 | 1934–35, 2006–07, 2013–14, 2018–19 | 1950–51, 1960–61, 1966–67, 2022–23 |
| Lens | 4 | 2 | 1936–37, 1948–49, 1972–73, 2008–09 | 2013–14, 2019–20 |
| Nice | 4 | 1 | 1947–48, 1964–65, 1969–70, 1993–94 | 1984–85 |
| Lille | 4 | 1 | 1963–64, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1999–2000 | 1970–71 |
| Montpellier | 3 | 3 | 1945–46, 1960–61, 1986–87 | 1951–52, 1980–81, 2008–09 |
| Saint-Étienne | 3 | 3 | 1962–63, 1998–99, 2003–04 | 1933–34, 1937–38, 1985–86 |
| Strasbourg | 3 | 2 | 1976–77, 1987–88, 2016–17 | 1971–72, 2001–02 |
| Toulouse | 3 | 1 | 1981–82, 2002–03, 2021–22 | 1996–97 |
| Lyon | 3 | – | 1950–51, 1953–54, 1988–89 | |
| Rennes | 2 | 5 | 1955–56, 1982–83 | 1938–39, 1957–58, 1975–76, 1989–90, 1993–94 |
| Valenciennes | 2 | 5 | 1971–72, 2005–06 | 1934–35, 1936–37, 1961–62, 1974–75, 1991–92 |
| Red Star | 2 | 3 | 1933–34, 1938–39 | 1954–55, 1964–65, 1973–74 |
| Angers | 2 | 3 | 1968–69, 1975–76 | 1955–56, 1977–78, 1992–93 |
| Sochaux | 2 | 2 | 1946–47, 2000–01 | 1963–64, 1987–88 |
| Ajaccio | 2 | 2 | 1966–67, 2001–02 | 2010–11, 2021–22 |
| Caen | 2 | 2 | 1995–96, 2009–10 | 2003–04, 2006–07 |
| Troyes | 2 | 2 | 2014–15, 2020–21 | 1953–54, 1972–73 |
| Alès | 2 | 1 | 1933–34, 1956–57 | 1946–47 |
| FC Nancy | 2 | 1 | 1945–46, 1957–58 | 1959–60 |
| Reims | 2 | 1 | 1965–66, 2017–18 | 2011–12 |
| Grenoble | 2 | – | 1959–60, 1961–62 | |
| Bastia | 2 | – | 1967–68, 2011–12 | |
| Nîmes | 1 | 3 | 1949–50 | 1967–68, 1990–91, 2017–18 |
| Sedan | 1 | 3 | 1954–55 | 1971–72, 1998–99, 2005–06 |
| Brest | 1 | 3 | 1980–81 | 1978–79, 2009–10, 2018–19 |
| Marseille | 1 | 3 | 1994–95 | 1965–66, 1983–84, 1995–96 |
| Monaco | 1 | 3 | 2012–13 | 1952–53, 1970–71, 1976–77 |
| Rouen | 1 | 2 | 1935–36 | 1933–34, 1981–82 |
| Stade Français | 1 | 2 | 1951–52 | 1945–46, 1958–59 |
| Lorient | 1 | 2 | 2019–20 | 1997–98, 2000–01 |
| Toulouse (1937) | 1 | 1 | 1952–53 | 1945–46 |
| Tours | 1 | 1 | 1983–84 | 1979–80 |
| Bordeaux | 1 | 1 | 1991–92 | 1948–49 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | – | 1970–71 | |
| Gueugnon | 1 | – | 1978–79 | |
| Auxerre | 1 | – | 1979–80 | |
RCF Paris
|
1 | – | 1985–86 | |
| Martigues | 1 | – | 1992–93 | |
| Châteauroux | 1 | – | 1996–97 | |
Evian
|
1 | – | 2010–11 |
Notes:
- AS Nancy Lorraine is not the successor to FC Nancy.
- Toulouse FC is not the successor to Toulouse FC (1937).
Top goalscorers
Records
- 5 minutes: the time it took Angelo Fulgini (Valenciennes, 2016–17 season) to score the fastest hat trick in the history of Ligue 2.
- 6 times: the number of times Le Havre won the second division championship.
- Number of points won by a team in a single season, without achieving promotion to Ligue 1:
- 77 points (1994–95 season) or 1.833 points per game (42 games) for Toulouse.
- 72 points (1995–96 season, 22 teams involved): or 1.71 points per game for Laval.
- 71 points (2018–19 season, 20 teams involved): or 1.868 points per game for Troyes.
- 70 points (2020–21 season, 20 teams involved): or 1.84 points per game for Toulouse.
- 52 points (curtailed 2019–20 season, 20 teams involved) or 1.857 points per game (28 games) for Ajaccio.
- 128 goals: The number of goals scored in 40 games (a single season) by Angers in 40 games, (1968–69 season).
- 55 goals: the number of goals scored in a season by Gerard Grizzetti, forward playing for Angoulême (1969).
- 41 seasons: Number of seasons played by the Besançon and Cannes.
- The fastest goal in the history of Ligue 2 was marked on 26 September 2009 by Rémi Maréval against Nîmes. After eight seconds of play, the ball crossed the goal line of Nicolas Puydebois.
Broadcaster
France
| Duration | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
| 2012–13 → 2023–24 | beIN Sports |
| 2008–09 → 2011–12 | Eurosport |
| 2008–09 → 2009–10 | Numericable |
| 2020–21 | Téléfoot |
| 2021–22 → 2023–24 | beIN Sports (2 matches) Amazon Prime Video (8 matches) L’Equipe (1 match from Amazon)
|
International
| Country | Broadcaster | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | VTVCab | 2022–23 → 2023–24 (all Pau FC matches)[8] |
| Southeast Asia | SPOTV | 2024–25 → 2027–28 |
Sponsorship names
- Domino'sLigue 2 (2016–2020)
- Ligue 2 BKT (2020–present)
Notes
References
- ^ "Marseille arrests and match-fixing probe rock French football". France 24. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Presidents of two French clubs arrested on match-fixing suspicions". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Ligue 1 reduces relegation spots from three to two from next season". ESPN FC. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "Ligue 1 relegation places stay at three, uncertainty continues". ESPN FC. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "Le référé de la LFP rejeté". Le Figaro.fr (in French). 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Ligue 1/Ligue 2 : il y aura bien trois rélégations/promotions". Le Parisien. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "Foot : la Ligue 2 à 18 clubs à partir de 2024-2025". Le Figaro. Agence France-Presse. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ VTV, BAO DIEN TU (19 July 2022). "VTVcab chính thức sở hữu bản quyền phát sóng các trận đấu của Quang Hải cùng Pau FC tại Ligue 2" [VTVcab officially owns the rights to broadcast Quang Hai's matches with Pau FC in Ligue 2]. BAO DIEN TU VTV (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
External links
- Official website (in French)
- Ligue1.com/ligue2 (official website) at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 August 2019) (in English)
- League321.com – French football league tables, records & statistics database.
French Football Federation (President: Philippe Diallo (interim)) | |||||||
| National and regional teams |
| ||||||
| League system |
| ||||||
| Domestic cups |
| ||||||
| Other competitions | |||||||
| Organizations | |||||||
| Lists / statistics | |||||||
| By city | |||||||
