French Ligue 1

Ligue 1 is the highest division of the French football where 20 clubs from all over the country contest the title of the champion of France. The competition runs from August to May, matches are mainly held on Saturdays and Sundays.

The top division was founded by Georges Bayrou, Emmanuel Gambardella, and Gabriel Hanot after the French Football Federation decided to support professionalism in the French football. The first season of 1932/1933 saw two groups with 10 clubs in each one competing with each other. The winners of the groups clashed in the final match to find out the strongest side in the country.

According to the modern rules of the Ligue, during a season each team meets each opponent twice, one match at their home stadium and one match away thus taking part in 38 games in total. A team is rewarded with one point for a draw, three points for a victory and zero points for a loss. In the table the clubs are rated according to the points they received, goal difference and the total number of goals scored. The first team is crowned the champion of France; three last teams are classed down to the Ligue 2. Moreover, the top three teams receive the right to play in the UEFA Champions League, the fourth team qualifies into the Europa League.

The prize that is awarded to the first team is called The Haxagoal and was designed by the artist Pablo Reinoso in 2005.

The total number of the clubs that have participated in the competition since 1932 is 76.

These days the French Ligue 1 is one of the top leagues in Europe.