Ligue 1, also known as "Le Championnat" (The Championship) is the premier French professional league. It was inaugurated on September 11, 1932 under the name "National". The following year, it was renamed to "Division 1".
In 2002, "Division 1" was renamed to Ligue 1. The league is now officially known as Ligue 1 Orange as it is sponsored by French telecommunications company Orange.
Contested by 20 clubs, Ligue 1 operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2.
A Ligue 1 season runs from August to May, with teams playing 38 games each. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is usually deferred from the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.
A total of 76 clubs have played in Ligue 1.
Currently, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Rennes, and Sochaux are the only founding members of the league to be playing in Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain, Auxerre, Dijon, and Evian are the only clubs to have not suffered points relegation. Paris Saint-Germain earned promotion to the first division for the 1974-75 season and has not faltered down since.
Ligue 1 is one of Europe's top national leagues. It is currently ranked fifth in Europe behind Ligue 1, Spanish La Liga, the German Bundesliga and the Italian Serie A.
There are generally three ways to bet on Ligue 1, these are:
Ligue 1 Matchup - a bet on the winner of individual Ligue 1 matches (e.g. bet on the winner of the match between Paris St Germain and Nancy or Valenciennes and Auxerre).
Outright Ligue 1 Winner - a bet on which club will win the championship.
Ligue 1 Specials - a bet made on the outcome of certain aspects of a Ligue 1 match, but which is not a typical part of the in-game betting. Specials in Ligue 1 matches may include betting on which club or player will score the first goal, how many total goals a particular player will score, how many yellow cards will be given in the match, etc.
In a Ligue 1 matchup bet, you just have to pick the winner of a particular Ligue 1 match.
Betting sites provide a list of available matchups of the competing clubs and their corresponding odds plus the odds for the "Draw", like the following:
| Home | Draw | Away | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon v Rennes | 4/5 | 23/10 | 15/4 |
| Toulouse v Lille | 2/1 | 2/1 | 6/4 |
| Ajaccio v Caen | 21/10 | 2/1 | 7/5 |
Let's say you picked Lyon to win over Rennes and placed a €10.00 bet. At odds of 4/5, if Lyon wins the match, your €10.00 bet will win €8.00 for a total return of €18.00.
In the second matchup, let's say you picked the Lille to defeat Toulouse and placed a €20.00 bet. At odds of 6/4, if Lille wins the match, your €20.00 bet will win €30.00 for a total return of €50.00.
In the Ajaccio v Caen matchup, let's say you picked the "Draw" and placed a €10.00. At odds of 2/1, if the match is declared a draw (or the match ended in a tie), your €10.00 bet will win €20.00 for a total return of €30.00.
Meanwhile, in a bet on the outright Ligue 1 winner, sports betting sites list the competing clubs with their respective odds, just like the following:
| Ligue 1 Outright Winner | |
|---|---|
| Paris Saint-Germain | 4/7 |
| Lyon | 10/3 |
| Lille | 15/2 |
| Montpellier | 20/1 |
| Olympique Marseille | 25/1 |
| Rennes | 25/1 |
| Toulouse | 66/1 |
| Lorient | 100/1 |
| Saint-Etienne | 100/1 |
| Sochaux | 150/1 |
| Bordeaux | 150/1 |
| Auxerre | 200/1 |
| Caen | 400/1 |
| Evian Thonon Gaillard | 500/1 |
You just have to bet on which club you think has the best chance of winning Ligue 1 championship.
Let's say you picked the favorite Paris Saint-Germain and placed a €20.00 bet. At odds of 4/7, if Paris Saint-Germain wins the championship, your €20.00 bet will win €11.42 for a total return of €31.42 (your original bet plus your winnings).
Looking at the bottom of the list, if you bet €20.00 on the longshot Evian Thonon Gaillard, and Evian Thonon Gaillard wins the championsip, at odds of 500/1, you'll get €10,020.00 (€20.00 original bet plus €10,000.00 winnings).
Meanwhile, Ligue 1 Specials (also known as Propositions or Prop Bets) are offers which include betting on which player will score the first goal, how many goals a particular player will score, how many yellow cards will be given in the match, how many goals will be scored in the match, etc.
Ligue 1 truly offers lots of betting options for new and seasoned bettors. To make a bet on Ligue 1 really rewarding, you should carefully consider all the factors affecting a bet. Bonne chance!
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