Ligue 1 predictions & betting tips

Ligue 1 predictions

Ligue 1 is the top men’s football league in France, and along with La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and the Premier League, it is one of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. Consequently, it is one of the most popular football leagues in the world.

Ligue 1 Logo

The top 18 French teams compete for the title of Champion of France, and the league runs from August to May each season. Teams who get relegated from Ligue 1 play in Ligue 2.

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Winners – PSG, again

PSG have won the Ligue 1 title four times in a row and last season they also added their first-ever UEFA Champions League (UCL) title, so it is hard to see any other team being crowned French champions at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The bookies, of course, agree with this and they have made PSG the overwhelming favourites to win Ligue 1 this season from the very start.

PSG
PSG are unsurprisingly the overwhelming favourites with bookmakers to retain their Ligue 1 crown – Photo by IMAGO / Sven Simon

At this stage of the season, it seems that the Parisiens will justify this and win another title. The only team that still has a chance to overtake them at the top are Lens, but it’s hard to see that happening and the bookies still have them heavily favoured to win Ligue 1.

Relegation candidates – Metz and Nantes going down

With the season nearly over, we already know that Metz and Nantes will play in Ligue 2 next season, but we still don’t know which team will potentially join them, i.e. have to fight for survival in the relegation playoffs.

The candidates for this are Nice, Auxerre, and Le Havre, and whichever team finishes 16th in the standings will then take on the winner of Ligue 2 promotion playoffs for the final spot in Ligue 1 next season.

Top scorer favourites – Esteban Lepaul to win the Golden Boot

After sharing the Golden Boot award with Ousmane Dembele last season, Mason Greenwood was the main favourite to be the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season as well, especially when Dembele missed many games with an injury.

However, Greenwood is not at the top of this list heading into the final round of the season, with that honour belonging to Esteban Lepaul of Rennes. Lepaul is four goals ahead of Greenwood (and Joaquin Panichelli), so he will likely win the Golden Boot this season.

The best bookmakers to bet with during the 2025/2026 Ligue 1

When betting on Ligue 1, just like any other of the big leagues in Europe, there are many bookies you can go through but two in particular have great offers, notably through the bet365 bonus code or the William Hill sign up promo code. Indian punters can also get in on the action with the 4rabet promo code today, which unlocks a competitive welcome bonus for new users.

last update: May 2026

Facts about Ligue 1 FAQ

The current champions of Ligue 1 are Paris Saint-Germain. PSG won the 2024/25 season title, securing a record-extending 13th championship and fourth title in a row.

Teams in Ligue 1 qualify for European competitions based on their league position, with the top four teams getting a spot in the Champions League. Fifth team in the standings and Coupe de France winner get a spot in the Europa League, while sixth team in the standings goes to the Europa Conference League.

Lorient and Paris FC secured direct promotion last season, while Metz won the play-offs against Reims to earn promotion after losing in the same stage the season before.

A Ligue 1 season has a total of 306 games and each team plays 34 matches over the course of the season.

The league began in the 1932/33 season as Division 1, becoming fully professional in 1932, and has run continuously since, with the exception of World War II. Overall, there have been 88 Ligue 1 seasons so far.

Delio Onnis is the top scorer in the history of Ligue 1 with 299 goals. Bernand Lacombe with 255 goals and Herve Revelli with 216 goals are next on this list.

The biggest stadium in Ligue 1 is the Stade Velodrome, home to Marseille. It has a capacity of 67,394.