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How are teams ranked in the Ligue 1 table?

Being known as the bottom of the top, France Ligue 1 is around the corner. In this season, will there be something new besides PSG winning the title again? Betimate will give you an overview of the current standings of 20 French clubs in the Ligue 1 table.
Frank Merino
By: Frank Merino

About Ligue 1

Before checking the places of Ligue 1 participants, let’s improve your knowledge with some basic understandings about this French football league.  

What is Ligue 1?

Ligue 1 is the name of the highest division in the French football system. It is also known as the Ligue 1 Uber Eats due to sponsorship reasons. This football competition was founded in 1932 under the name National, then Division 1 in the next year. Since 2002, it has been called Ligue 1 and held annually from August to May

Ligue 1 is organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), and it is one of the most prestigious leagues in the European football system, along with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, and Serie A, making up “Big Five'' in football history. Despite the fifth ranking, this is still a worthy competition to watch. 

Ligue 1 logo

How does Ligue 1 work?

Basically, France Ligue 1 is run the same way as other top-flight divisions in the area. The round-robin format is going to be applied to 20 teams participating in the league. Each of them will have to join 38 matches in total, half at home ground and half away, at their rivals’ venues. 

Three points are awarded for winning a single match, it would be one point if it is a tied match, and zero points are given to the underdog of the game. At the end of the competition, the team who finished with the highest point will be victorious. In case more than one time ended up equal, they will be judged on the goals difference, goals scored, and a series of playoffs on neutral grounds will take place. 

Ligue 1 has a close connection with the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Ligue 2 under the promoting and relegating system. The top three teams in Ligue 1 qualify for the UCL (the top two go into the group stage while the third-ranked team is transferred to the third qualifying round). The fourth-placed club is promoted to the Europa League. Meanwhile, the bottom three teams will be relegated to France Ligue 2. 

Why is Ligue 1 called “Farmer’s League”?

You must have listened to the term “Farmer’s League” when it comes to Ligue 1. Many football fans from opponent leagues have called Ligue 1 this nickname, so what does it really mean?

The reason behind this term is they imply that footballers in Ligue 1 have their day job as farmers and play football in the evening because they are not as professional and well-skilled as their friends in other top divisions. 

Moreover, Ligue 1 is considered a non-competitive competition because it is like a one-horse race for PSG. Although Saint-Étienne is the team that won the most Ligue 1 titles, their era was mostly in the 20th century and the recent victories have all belonged to PSG, which made all the others become the underdogs of the competition. 

2020-2021 Ligue 1 table

2020-2021 Ligue 1 table
 

Team

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

PTS

1

PSG

30

20

3

7

67

21

46

63

2

Lille

30

18

9

3

50

19

31

63

3

Olympique Lyonnais

30

17

9

4

59

30

29

60

4

Monaco

30

18

5

7

60

38

22

59

5

Lens

30

13

9

8

46

42

4

48

6

Olympique Marseille

30

12

9

9

38

36

2

45

7

Rennes

30

12

8

10

37

33

4

44

8

Montpellier

30

12

8

10

48

49

-1

44

9

Metz

30

11

9

10

36

32

4

42

10

Angers SCO

30

11

7

12

33

43

-10

40

11

Nice

30

11

6

13

39

41

-2

39

12

Reims

30

9

11

10

36

36

0

38

13

Bordeaux

30

10

6

14

32

38

-6

36

14

Brest

30

10

5

15

43

53

-10

35

15

Strasbourg

30

9

6

15

37

44

-7

33

16

Saint-Étienne

30

8

9

13

30

46

-16

33

17

Lorient

30

7

8

15

36

54

-18

29

18

Nîmes

30

8

5

17

30

56

-26

29

19

Nantes

30

5

13

12

31

46

-15

28

20

Dijon

30

2

9

19

20

51

-31

15

Last updated on 21st March.

Above is the table that features the current positions of 20 teams in the 2020-2021 Ligue 1. Accordingly and obviously, PSG is standing at the top of the table, with 63 points total. Notably, Lille, who has just three times become the champions in Ligue 1 history, is showing their potency this season with equal points with PSG. However, since their GD is 31 goals compared to 46 goals of PSG, that’s why they are currently ranked second.

Glossary:

GP: Games Played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Draws

GF: Goals For

GA: Goals Against

GD: Goal Difference

PTS: Points

Who is the best team in Ligue 1? 

It could be true to say that Saint-Étienne is the most successful team in Ligue 1 based on their achievement for 10 times bringing the Ligue 1 trophy home. However, depending on the current consequences, PSG seems to be the best team in Ligue 1. Equipped with several stars like Neymar, or Kylian Mbappé, and Zlatan in the past, this team is supposed to be the strongest one in this top-flight French football division. 

Paris Saint-Germain FC

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligue_1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Saint-Germain_F.C.




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Frank Merino
Written by: Frank Merino
Frank Merino is a writer for Betimate.com, providing non-stop analysis and opinions on all things football. Since 2018, I have started writing football analysis articles on the internet and predicting and recommending prestigious football bets for users around the world.

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