By Bill Turianski on the 11th of October 2023; twitter.com/billsportsmaps.
Links…
-2023-24 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org).
-Ligue 1 – Summary: matches, table, players, etc. (soccerway.com).
-Get French Football…your home of French football in English (getfootballnewsfrance.com).
-Football en France: Histoire, stats et classement sur la Ligue 1 (pari-et-gagne.com).
The map shows the 18 clubs in the current season of the French Ligue 1 [2022-23].
Note: for 2023-24, Ligue 1 has contracted to 18 teams. In June 2021, the LFP voted to contract Ligue 1 back to 18 clubs, for the 2023–24 season, by relegating 4 and promoting 2 from Ligue 2. The reason for this was two-fold…fewer matches, and more money to go round (from television deals) {see this}. The lighter domestic schedule is hoped to help French teams to be better rested, and thus compete better in UEFA competitions, especially as the Champions League Group Stage will be expanded from 6 to 8 games in 2024.
The map features the locations and crests of the 18 current Ligue Un clubs, plus the recently-promoted and -relegated teams are noted. (Promoted in 2023: Le Havre, Metz; relegated in 2022: Ajaccio, Angers, Auxerre, Troyes.) Also shown on the map are the 10 largest French cities, and the 13 Regions of Metropolitan France (aka European France). {Largest French cities’ metropolitan area populations from 2016 census, here}. The major French rivers are also shown on the map, and at the foot of the map the 10 longest rivers in France are listed (with brief descriptions).
Also shown on the top chart are the consecutive seasons each club has currently spent in the top tier…
Paris Saint-Germain are the current longest-serving member of Ligue 1, with 50 straight seasons (PSG have also won 9 of the last 11 French titles, including 2022-23). Second-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lyon, with 35 straight seasons (Lyon won 7 straight French titles from 2002 to ’08). The 3rd-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Rennes [of Brittany], with 30 straight seasons (Rennes is the largest [ie, the best-supported] French club without a Ligue 1 title). Fourth-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Olympique Marseille, with 28 straight seasons (OM have won 9 titles; last in 2010). And the 5th-longest top-flight tenure belongs to Lille, with 24 straight seasons (Lille have won 4 French titles, their last title won three seasons ago in 2020-21).
The second chart is the All-time French professional titles list.
With their 2022-23 title-win, and their 9th Ligue 1 title in 11 seasons, Paris Saint-Germain have now won the most French titles, with 11. Paris Saint-Germain are by far the most wealthy club in the country, to the point of making a mockery of any notion of a balanced competition. (PSG are owned by a subsidiary of the slave-owning Gulf state Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.) PSG just surpassed current 2nd-division club Saint-Étienne, who have won 10 French titles. (Saint-Étienne’s last title came 43 seasons ago, in 1981.) Marseille have won the third-most French titles, with 9. (Marseille last won it in 2010). The most recent club to have won their first Ligue 1 title was Montpellier, in 2011-12.
The third chart is on the left-hand side of the map page: it shows 2022-23 attendance for the 18 current Ligue 1 clubs [2023-24]. Olympique Marseille, perennial top-draw in France, were yet again the highest-drawing club, at 62,571 per game. OM increased their crowd size by over 10,000 from the season before. OM played to an impressive 93%-capacity at their giant Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseille. 2nd-best draw, again, were PSG at 46.2-K per game – an increase of 4.9-K-per-game from ’21-22 – and they played to 99%-capacity at Parc des Princes in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. PSG increasing their crowd-size by nearly 5-K-per-game, and playing consistently to sell-out crowds, was most likely due to the tight title race, which saw RC Lens lose out to PSG by only one point (well, two points counting goal-difference). The 3rd-best draw were Lyon at 46.0-K per game, and they played to 76%-capacity at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Décines-Charpieu (in Métropole de Lyon). Lyon increased their crowd-size by 12.7-K-per-game from ’21-22. Why? Lyon did OK in ’22-23 (7th place), but not that well to explain why there was such a large attendance increase. Getting back to normal after COVID would explain Lyon’s larger turnstile count in ’22-23, as well as that in Ligue 1 overall, last season. 4th-best draw in France were RC Lens, who drew 37.6-K per game, playing to a solid 91%-capacity at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. 5th-best draw were Lille OSC, at 36.1-K per game, playing to 72%-capacity at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Métropole Européenne de Lille). Lille increased their crowd-size by 1.9-K-per-game from ’21-22. 6th-best draw were FC Nantes, who drew 30.0-K-per-game at their Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes. Nantes did not do well at all in ’22-23 (finishing in 16th place, 1 point clear of relegation), yet still managed to increase their attendance by 9.4-K-per-game. In ’22-23, Nantes’ successful relegation-battle led to increased home crowd-size at the end of their season.
The attendance chart also lists each club’s 2022-23 finish. Also noted are the 6 European qualifiers from France for this season, and the 2 promoted clubs. The 6 European qualifiers from France for this season [2023-24] are:
-2 teams in the Champions League Group Stage (PSG, Lens); and 1 team in CL 3rd QR (Marseille).
-2 teams in the Europa League Group Stage (Rennes, Toulouse).
-1 team in the Europa Conference play-off round (Lille).
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Le Havre – promoted back to Ligue 1 after 14 years…
Le Havre is located, by road, 121 miles (195 km) NW of Paris. Le Havre is in Normandy and is located, by road & tunnel, 217 miles (349 km) S of Folkestone, Kent, England. Le Havre means ‘the harbour’ or ‘the port’. Le Havre is located at the mouth of the river Seine, on the southern shore of the English Channel (La Manche). It is home to the largest container port in France. Le Havre AC first played in Ligue 1 in 1938-39. Le Havre’s last spell in Ligue 1 was for one season, in 2008-09. Counting 2023-24, Le Havre AC have played 25 seasons of 1st division football.
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Le Havre home jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Le Havre coastline, photo unattributed at zininfrankrijk.nl. Stade Océane, photo unattributed at sportschau.de.
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FC Metz – promoted back to Ligue 1 after one year…
Metz is located, by road, 207 miles (333 km) E of Paris. Metz is in northeast France, situated at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers. Metz is the economic heart of the Lorraine cultural region, but is now officially part of the Grand Est Region. Metz is located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany and Luxembourg. FC Metz were a founding member of Ligue 1, in 1932-33. FC Metz’ last spell in Ligue 1 was for 3 seasons, from 2019 to 2022. Counting 2023-24, FC Metz have played 64 seasons of 1st division football.
Photo credits above – 2023-24 Metz home jersey, from footballkitarchive.com. Aerial drone shot of Metz, from video uploaded by Polychronis Drone at youtube.com. Stade Saint-Symphorien, photo unattributed at fcmetz.com/[galerie-le-stade-saint-symphorien-en-photos].
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Thanks to all at the links below…
-Blank map of France by Superbenjamin at File:France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg (en.wikipedia.org).
-Globe-map of France by Rob984 at File:EU-France (orthographic projection).svg (commons.wikimedia.org).
-Seasons-in-1st-division data, from pari-et-gagne.com/[Bilan historique Ligue 1].
-Longest rivers in France, from worldatlas.com/[longest-rivers-in-france].
-Largest French cities (2016 census figures of metropolitan-areas), from insee.fr via en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area_(France)#List_of_France’s_aires_urbaines_(metropolitan_areas).
-2023-24 Ligue 1 (en.wikipedia.org and fr.wikipedia.org).
-Attendance: worldfootball.net/attendance/[Ligue-1-2022-23].
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