History of Ligue 1 in Timeline
Ligue 1, also known as Ligue 1 McDonald's due to sponsorship, is the premier professional football league in France. It represents the highest tier of French football and is governed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP). The league comprises 18 clubs that compete in a system involving promotion and relegation with Ligue 2.
July 1930: Vote in favor of adoption of Professionalism
In July 1930, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted in favor of adopting professionalism in French football.
September 1932: Inauguration of Ligue 1
On September 11, 1932, Ligue 1 was inaugurated under the name National.
1932: Inaugural season
In 1932, the inaugural season of the all-professional league, called National, was held with 20 inaugural members.
1932: Start of Ligue 1 championships
Ligue 1 championships started in the 1932-33 season.
1932: Official implementation of Professionalism
Professionalism was officially implemented in French football in 1932.
May 1933: Inaugural National final
On May 14, 1933, Olympique Lillois won the first National final against Cannes, 4-3, becoming the inaugural champions after Antibes was disqualified.
1934: Legitimate promotion and relegation system
For the 1934–35 season, the league organised a legitimate promotion and relegation system bringing the total tally of clubs in the first division to 16.
1938: Total tally of clubs in the first division
Until the 1938–39 season, the total tally of clubs in the first division remained to 16.
1939: Suspension of football due to World War II
In 1939, football was suspended by the French government and the Ligue de Football Professionnel due to World War II.
1945: Return of professional football
Following the conclusion of World War II and the liberation of France, professional football returned to France in 1945.
1965: Increase of clubs in first division
In the 1965–66 season the first division increased its allotment of clubs to 20.
1973: Introduction of bonus rule
From 1973 to 1976, a rule rewarded teams scoring three or more goals in a game with one extra point.
May 1976: Nantes longest unbeaten home streak start
In May 1976, Nantes began a record of 92 home matches without a loss.
1976: End of bonus rule
From 1973 to 1976, a rule rewarded teams scoring three or more goals in a game with one extra point.
April 1981: End of Nantes' unbeaten home streak
In April 1981, Nantes' record of 92 home matches without a loss ended.
1984: Foundation of DNCG
In 1984, the DNCG (Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion) was founded to manage Ligue 1 clubs' finances and budgets.
1994: Nantes' unbeaten season
In the 1994-95 campaign, Nantes achieved the longest consecutive unbeaten streak (32 matches) and the fewest defeats (one match) in a single Ligue 1 season.
1995: Change in promotion and relegation format
Prior to 1995, the league's format was direct relegation of the bottom two teams and a play-off between the third-last first-division team and the winner of the second-division play-offs.
2002: Increase of Ligue 1 clubs budget
From the 2002-03 to 2005-06 season, the budget of Ligue 1 clubs increased by 39%.
2002: Name change to Ligue 1
In 2002, the league adopted its current name, Ligue 1, after previously being known as Division 1.
2002: Name change from Division 1 to Ligue 1
In 2002, the league changed its name from Division 1 to Ligue 1.
2005: Combined budget of Ligue 1 clubs
Following a report by the DNCG, the combined budget of Ligue 1 clubs was €910 million for the 2005–06 season.
2006: Introduction of Attacking Play Table
At the start of the 2006–07 season, the league introduced an Attacking Play Table to encourage the scoring of more goals in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
2006: Development of L'Hexagoal
In 2006, the previous Ligue 1 trophy, L'Hexagoal, was developed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel and designed and created by Pablo Reinoso.
2006: Ligue 1 ranks fifth in revenue
Ligue 1 ranks fifth in terms of revenue brought in by clubs with the league bringing in £0.6 billion for the 2006–07 season.
May 2007: Hexagoal Name Announcement
On 20 May 2007, French Football Federation member Frédéric Thiriez announced that, following an online vote, the term Hexagoal had received half of the votes for the new Ligue 1 trophy name.
2007: Lille hosted Lyon at the Stade de France
In 2007, Lille hosted Lyon at the Stade de France.
2008: LFP clubs accounts in the red
From 2008 to 2011, the LFP clubs accounts as a whole were in the red for the third consecutive season.
2008: Lille hosted Lyon at the Stade de France
In 2008, Lille hosted Lyon at the Stade de France.
2008: Lyon's seventh consecutive title
In 2008, Lyon completed a run of seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles.
June 2011: LFP Rights Agreement with beIN Sports
In June 2011, the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel) reached an agreement with beIN Media Group for €510 million over four seasons. Following the announcement of the agreement in June 2011, it was revealed that Canal+ had acquired four television packages, while beIN Sports acquired two packages.
2011: LFP clubs accounts in the red
From 2008 to 2011, the LFP clubs accounts as a whole were in the red for the third consecutive season.
2012: LFP clubs deficit had been cut in half
In 2012, the LFP announced that the clubs deficit had been cut in half from €130 million to €65 million.
2015: Change in relegation and promotion format
For the 2015–16 season only, two teams were to be relegated and only two teams from Ligue 2 were to be promoted, but this decision was overturned.
2016: Return of relegation play-off
The 2016–17 season saw the return of a relegation play-off between the 16th-placed Ligue 1 team and the third-placed team in Ligue 2.
2018: Mediapro Acquires LFP Media Rights
In 2018, Mediapro acquired three of the four major packages of LFP media rights for 2020-21 through 2024, largely replacing Canal+ in a deal valued at a record €1.15 billion.
June 2020: Mediapro Partners with TF1 for Téléfoot Channel
In June 2020, Mediapro announced a partnership with TF1 to create the Téléfoot channel, leveraging TF1's talent and resources. Téléfoot presenters Grégoire Margotton and Bixente Lizarazu would serve as the lead broadcast team for at least 20 matches per-season.
October 2020: Mediapro Withholds Rights Payments
In October 2020, Mediapro began withholding its rights payments to the LFP due to the financial impact of COVID-19. In October 2020, LFP CEO Arnaud Rouger stated that they may have to pursue a new broadcaster if they are unable to resolve the dispute with Mediapro.
December 2020: Mediapro to Wind Down Téléfoot
In December 2020, it was reported that Mediapro were preparing to wind down Téléfoot after agreeing to compensate the LFP for the two missed rights payments.
February 2021: Canal+ Acquires Mediapro Rights
In February 2021, Canal+ reached an interim agreement to acquire the rights packages held by Mediapro for the remainder of the season, and later sub-licensed Ligue 2 to beIN; Téléfoot shut down on 8 February 2021.
June 2021: LFP Resells Broadcast Rights to Canal+ and Amazon Prime Video
In June 2021, the LFP resold the broadcast rights packages for Ligue 1 to Canal+ and Amazon Prime Video through 2024, with the two broadcasters paying a total of €663 million in total. Canal+ holds rights to two matches per-week.
June 2021: LFP vote to contract Ligue 1
In June 2021, the LFP voted to contract Ligue 1 back to 18 clubs for the 2023–24 season.
2022: Relegations and promotions for 2023-24 season
Following the 2022-23 season, four teams were relegated to and two teams were promoted from Ligue 2 in preparation for the 2023-24 season.
2022: Teams relegated from Ligue 1
In the 2022-23 season, four teams were relegated from Ligue 1 to Ligue 2.
August 2023: Canal+ Sub-licenses Matches to DAZN
In August 2023, Canal+ announced a sub-licensing agreement with DAZN to stream its matches on a branded channel within the service as part of DAZN's local launch.
2023: Reduction of teams to 18
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, Ligue 1 reduced the number of teams to 18.
2023: UEFA coefficient determines qualification spots
As of the 2023–24 season, the top four teams in Ligue 1 qualify for the Champions League, the fifth-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Europa League, and the sixth for the UEFA Conference League, as determined by the UEFA coefficient.
2023: Contracting Ligue 1 to 18 clubs
For the 2023–24 season, Ligue 1 contracted back to 18 clubs by relegating four to, and promoting two from, Ligue 2 after 2022–23.
2023: Ligue 1 contested by 18 clubs
In 2023, Ligue 1 changed to being contested by 18 clubs, operating with promotion and relegation from Ligue 2.
October 2024: Announcement of the Current Ligue 1 Trophy
On 17 October 2024, the current Ligue 1 trophy, which was created by Mathias Kiss, was announced. The yet-to-be-named trophy features a hexagonal base at the bottom and a gold-plated sphere at the top that is supported by "1"-shaped columns.
2024: 74 clubs have played in Ligue 1
A total of 74 clubs have played in Ligue 1 from its foundation in the 1932–33 season to the start of the 2024–25 season.
2024: Ligue 1 ranked fifth in Europe
As of 2024, Ligue 1 is ranked fifth among European national leagues, behind the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and Bundesliga.
2024: Canal+ Rights Conclusion
Canal+ does not plan to renew its rights after the conclusion of the 2024 season.
2024: Mediapro Rights End
In 2024, Mediapro's rights expire, and Mediapro acquired three of the four major packages of LFP media rights for 2020-21 through 2024.
2024: Clubs competing in the Ligue 1 season
The 2024–25 Ligue 1 season includes 18 competing clubs.
2024: Ligue 1 championships played
There have been 87 Ligue 1 championships played from the 1932–33 season until the 2024–25 season.
2025: Amazon Prime Video shows 3 league games per week in the UK
As of February 21st 2025 due to LFP legal dispute with DAZN over unpaid tv money, Amazon Prime Video now shows 3 league games per week for the price of £2.49 in the United Kingdom.
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