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The Ligue 1 soccer schedule is the backbone of the top professional league in France and sets the stage for soccer betting on the league. Everything revolves around the Ligue 1 schedule and these games get top billing both for bettors and for television markets, both domestically and internationally.
The games involving Paris Saint-Germain are always the most popular world wide with contests involving Lille, Lyon, AS Monaco and Marseille close behind.
Ligue 1
At the top of the French soccer pyramid, Ligue 1 is one of the top leagues in Europe and the world. The league has always contained between 14 and 20 teams and the top teams battle for spots in the Champions League and other prime European club competitions. The bottom teams each season get relegated to Ligue 2.
The league has officially been around since the 1932-33 season, only breaking during World War II. They have been a power in Europe during most seasons with Reims making the first-ever Champions League Final in 1956. However it wasn’t until Marseille in 1993 that a French team brought home the biggest European championship.
Lyon had never won a title before the 2001-02 season and they made up for it by winning a record seven titles in a row. Paris Saint-Germain took over from there, upping their revenues and their spending to bring in world superstars. As a result, PSG won eight titles in 10 years and also made a run to the 2020 Champions League Final.
Only Monaco and Lille won titles during PSG’s run in the early 21st century as few teams could match their spending.
Ligue 1 Schedule
The Ligue 1 schedule has had changes over the years, depending on how many teams were in the league. The league began with 20 clubs but has also operated with as few as 14. The league has been at 20 teams with a 38 game schedule since 2002 but plans to drop to an 18-team league in 2023-24.
Main Events on Ligue 1 Schedule.
Games involving PSG are always big events on the Ligue 1 schedule. Smaller teams can circle those games, along with matches against Monaco, Marseille, Lille and Lyon as revenue makers.
In the 2020’s, some of the bigger games on the schedule featured those five going against each other. Especially in the years after Monaco and Lille won titles and PSG went for revenge.
Historic rivalries also dot the Ligue 1 schedule, including Choc des Olympique between Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) and Olympique de Marseilles. Le Classique is the matchup between the two highest-revenue teams in most years, PSG and Marseille. Those teams have the most wins in Ligue 1 since 1980 and their matchups are usually heated both on the field and in the stands.
Regional rivalries also exist with teams like Nice, Marseille, Monaco and Montpellier in the south. Lyon and Saint Etienne are regional rivals in the east-central of France while Lens and Lille are in the north as well.
Ligue 1 Main Venues.
France has hosted the 1998 World Cup and numerous Euro Championships so fans around the world are familiar with some of the big venues used in Ligue 1. Marseille’s Orange Velodrome is the largest venue at nearly 70,000 fans while Lyon’s Groupama Stadium is just under 60,000.
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, home to Lille tops 50,000 capacity and PSG’s Parc des Princes is probably the most popular stadium in the league, holding over 45,000 fans. Bordeaux’s Matmut Atlantique and Saint-Etienne’s Stad Geoffroy-Guichard also top 40,000 fans.
Monaco’s Stade Louis II isn’t massive at just 18,500 fans but its nine arches are famous and the stadiums has hosted Super Cup matches
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The Ligue 1 schedule is set to the same as the other major European leagues, starting in August and ending in May. Ligue 1 typically takes a holiday break in the winter. This schedule can alter during World Cup years.
The Ligue 1 schedule has 38 games with each team playing 19 at home and 19 on the road. This will change in 2023-24 when the league drops to 18 teams.
The Ligue 1 schedule is typically released in late June or early July.
The majority of games are played on the weekends. Saturday is the most popular day of the week but there are also games on Sunday and they are spread throughout the day. The schedule has games during the week too, especially for rescheduled games based on European Cup or Coupe de France progression.