Official name: Le championnat de France de football (Ligue 1)
Number of participants: 20
The first official matches of the French championship were held in the 1932/33 season. Initially the tournament was conducted in compliance with the play-off system. At present the Ligue 1 format meets basic UEFA standards and is almost identical to other top leagues of Europe. The championship is arranged pursuant to the “fall-spring” system. The first matches take place late in August, the last ones – in May. Teams play one game away and one at home (38 all in all), and the championship comprises two laps, the 1st ending late in December.
The French Football Federation takes the 5th place in the UEFA coefficient of national association ranking and gets three tickets to the Champions League. The champion and the vice-champion enter the group stage of the tournament. The third place taker must play in the third qualifying round. In case of defeat this team finds the direct way to the Europa League group stage. The 4th and the 5th teams of the championship, as well as Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue winners, also get directly to the Europa League. If the teams ranked 1–5 in the Ligue 1 participate in the finals of these tournaments, the 6th and 7th teams acquire the ticket. In 2003 the “Lens” FC took part in the UEFA Cup due to its high position in the “Fair Play” index.
The most award-winning club is “Saint-Étienne” (10 titles). French championship clubs receive profit from TV broadcasts, transfers and championship titles. At the same time, teams get bonuses from the Football Federation for participation in European Cups. A considerable part of the League 1 clubs income is brought by transfers. Ligue 1 transfer windows are open from June 1 to August 31 and from January 1 to February 2.