| Football in France | |
|---|---|
 TheParc des Princes is the home ofParis Saint-Germain | |
| Country | France |
| Governing body | FFF |
| National team | France (men) •France (women) |
| Registered players | 2.1 million[1] |
| Clubs | 18,194 |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Association football is the most popular sport inFrance.[2][3] In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested.[4] TheFrench Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur.[5][6] The federation organizes theCoupe de France and is responsible for appointing the management of themen's,women's, andyouth national football teams inFrance. The federation gives responsibility ofLigue 1 andLigue 2 to theLigue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who oversee, organize, and manage the country's top two leagues. The French Football Federation also supervises theoverseas departments and territories leagues and hosts football clubAS Monaco, a club based in the independent sovereign state ofMonaco. In 2022, the FFF had 2.1 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 14,000 registered clubs, the second highest number of registered players inEurope afterGermany.[1]
The firstfootball club was introduced to France in 1863 as described in a newspaper article byThe Scotsman, which stated "A number of English gentlemen living in Paris have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in theBois de Boulogne, by permission of the authorities and surprise the French amazingly."[7]
Today, football in France is especially being played successfully by people of non-European origin, in particularpeople of Subsaharan origin andpeople from North Africa who are overrepresented in theBanlieue.[8] The importance of players of non-European origin is also reflected in the composition of the French World Cup winning team where only six of the 23 players were of European descent.[9]
France is a football superpower; by its footballers playing around the world, according to theCIES Football Observatory, in 2023, France is the second country in the world behindBrazil, with the most footballers playing abroad with 1,033.[10] According toStatista, of the estimated 130,000 professional football players worldwide, 6,368 originated from France, the third highest number in the world afterBrazil (10,694) andMexico (9,223).[11]
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The top two divisions of French football,Ligue 1 andLigue 2, are governed by theLigue de Football Professionnel. The league organizes and manages both leagues and is also responsible for the 36 professional football clubs that contest football in France (18 in Ligue 1 and 18 in Ligue 2).[12][13][14]
Ligue 1 is the French professional league for football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of theFrench football league system. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system ofpromotion and relegation with Ligue 2. Ligue 1 is one of the top national leagues, currently rankedfifth in Europe behind the EnglishPremier League, ItalianSerie A, SpanishLa Liga and GermanBundesliga. Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the nameNational before switching toDivision 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. Thecurrent champions of France areParis Saint-Germain, who won a record thirteenth title in2025.
Ligue 2 is the second division of French football. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system ofpromotion and relegation with theChampionnat National. The league was created in 1934, a year after Ligue 1 and consisted of 23 clubs that were divided into two groups, Nord and Sud.
Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain ranked fourth place in the top ten most popular sports clubs on social media in the world as of 7 February 2024:[15]
| Rank | Football club | Country | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | Spain | 360.5 million |
| 2 | Barcelona | Spain | 318.8 million |
| 3 | Manchester United | England | 207 million |
| 4 | Paris Saint-Germain | France | 163 million |
| 5 | Juventus | Italy | 147.4 million |
| 6 | Manchester City | England | 139.7 million |
| 7 | Chelsea | England | 136.7 million |
| 8 | Liverpool | England | 131.6 million |
| 9 | Bayern Munich | Germany | 126.5 million |
| 10 | Arsenal | England | 99.2 million |
The Championnat National is the third division of French football. Though the league has several clubs that are members of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, it is not governed by the organization primarily because of the LFP's refusal to divide its profits into smaller shares, so they can collaborate with the many amateur clubs in the league to help them become professional. The French Football Federation moderates the league, which was founded in 1993 under the nameNational 1. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system ofpromotion and relegation with theChampionnat de France amateur.
The Championnat National 2 is the fourth division of French football and normally features 72 football clubs. Most clubs that participate in the league are amateur clubs, but a small number of clubs are semi-professional. The CFA consists of 72 clubs spread into 4 parallel groups of 18. It is open to the best reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France, although only the amateur clubs are eligible for promotion to the Championnat National. The highest-placed amateur team in each pool are promoted, replaced by the 4 lowest-placed in the Championnat National.
The Championnat National 3 is the 5th division in French football and normally consists of 168 teams in 12 groups of 14 organised to align with theregional leagues. The twelve teams (both amateur and reserves of professional teams in higher divisions) that top their league are promoted to Championnat National 2. Relegation from Championnat National 3 is defined by both position in the group and the region the club belongs to. Normally, one club is relegated to each regional league that feeds that group.
Some of regional leagues are organised and managed by theLigue du Football Amateur. The LFA, under the watch of the French Football Federation, is responsible for administering and federating the actions of the regional and district leagues.
ThePremière Ligue is the top league forwomen's football clubs in France. The Première Ligue is ranked the best league in Europe according toUEFA. The league was originally created in 1918 byAlice Milliat and ran for 12 successful seasons untilwomen's football was banned in France. The league was refounded in 1974 and officially reinstated in 1975.
It is contested by 12 clubs. The league operates on a system ofpromotion and relegation with lower leagues and is governed by theFrench Football Federation. The league is known as D1 Arkema.Lyon has won the most league titles, with 18.
Division 2 Féminine is the second-tier of French women's football, contested by 12 clubs. Relegation is toDivision 3 Féminine, contested by 24 fully professional clubs split into two groups. The fourth level is Régional 1 Féminine.
The leagues based in theoverseas departments and territories of France are run by their respective associations under the watch of the French Football Federation. Under the rules of the FFF, clubs in the leagues are allowed to participate in confederation competitions based on their regional locations. For example, the champion of theRéunion Premier League is allowed inclusion into theCAF Champions League.
The most important cup competition in France is theCoupe de France. However, several other national cups are targeted at clubs at different levels.
The following teams have qualified for the last eight of theEuropean Cup / UEFA Champions League.
TheFrance national football team represents France in international football.[16] France was one of the four European teams that participated at theinaugural World Cup in 1930 and are one of eight national teams to have won the competition, which they did in 1998 when they hosted the Cup, defeatingBrazil 3–0 in thefinal. They won their second world title 20 years later, after defeatingCroatia 4–2 in thefinal of the2018 edition in Russia. France also won twoEuropean Championships in1984 and2000, and hosted the tournament on three occasions, including their victorious 1984 campaign. Following France's2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became the first national team to win the three most important men's titles organised byFIFA: theFIFA World Cup, theFIFA Confederations Cup, and theOlympic Tournament. This would be followed withArgentina andBrazil's victories at the Summer Olympics in 2004 and 2016. France additionally went on to win aUEFA Nations League title in2021.
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TheFrance women's national football team represents the country in internationalwomen's football. France initially struggled on the international stage failing to qualify for three of the firstFIFA Women's World Cups and the six straightUEFA European Championships before reaching the quarter-finals in the1997 edition of the competition. However, since the beginning of the newmillennium, France have become a mid-tier national team and one of the most consistent inEurope, having qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in2003 and reaching the quarter-finals in the last three consecutive European Championships. They also hosted the2019 Women's World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals.
TheFrance national youth football teams consists of age-specific national teams beginning with theFrance national under-16 football team and ending with theFrance national under-21 football team. Since the coaching tenure ofAimé Jacquet, there is an unwritten rule amongsenior national team coaches that players called up to the national team must have had prior international experience with the under-21 team.
The followingoverseas department national teams act asfeeder teams for theFrance national football team. All teams are run by their respective federation under the authority of the French Football Federation.
| National team | Elo Ranking | Manager | Stadium | Member Association(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Guiana | 159 |  Ghislain Zulémaro | Stade de Baduel | CONCACAF andCFU |
| Guadeloupe | 91 | Roger Salnot | Stade René Serge Nabajoth | CONCACAF andCFU |
| Martinique | 115 | Theodore Antonin | Stade d'Honneur de Dillon | CONCACAF andCFU |
| Réunion | 138 | TBD | Stade Jean-Ivoula | CAF |
| Saint Martin | 193 | Andy Gerard | TBD | CONCACAF andCFU |
As an overseas department of theFrench Republic, each national team is not a member ofFIFA, therefore they are not eligible to enter theWorld Cup. However, since inhabitants of the overseas departments are French citizens, players are eligible to play for theFrance national football team. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and French Guiana are associate members ofCONCACAF and are full members of theCaribbean Football Union, and are thus eligible for all competitions organized by both, while Réunion are associate members ofCAF. Indeed, according to the status of the FFF (article 34, paragraph 6):"[...]Under the control of related continental confederations, and with the agreement of the FFF, those leagues can organize international sport events at a regional level or set up teams in order to participate to them."
A special rule of theCONCACAF Gold Cup only allows players to join the team if they have not played for France during the previous five years. On the other hand, any player joining the team is allowed to join the France national team afterward with no time restrictions.
The use ofoverseas department players has been extremely beneficial for the France national team.Lilian Thuram andBernard Lama, who were born inGuadeloupe andMartinique, respectively, were a part of the winning team at the1998 FIFA World Cup. Also on the team wereThierry Henry andBernard Diomède, who, though born in metropolitan France, were descendants of parents from overseas departments. Currently,Florent Malouda (French Guiana),William Gallas,Mikaël Silvestre,Michaël Ciani (Guadeloupe),Nicolas Anelka (Martinique), andGuillaume Hoarau andFlorent Sinama Pongolle (Réunion) are members of the national team who either hail from or whose families hail from the overseas departments.
Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included.
| # | Image | Stadium | Capacity | City | Region | Home Team | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | Île-de-France | France national football team | 1998 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 2 | | Stade Vélodrome | 67,394 | Marseille | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Olympique de Marseille | 1937 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 3 |  | Parc Olympique Lyonnais | 59,186 | Décines-Charpieu | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | Olympique Lyonnais | 2016 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 4 |  | Stade Pierre-Mauroy | 50,157 | Villeneuve-d'Ascq | Hauts-de-France | Lille OSC | 2012 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 5 | | Parc des Princes | 48,583 | Paris | Île-de-France | Paris Saint-Germain FC | 1972 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 6 |  | Matmut Atlantique | 42,115 | Bordeaux | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | FC Girondins de Bordeaux | 2015 | UEFA Category 4 stadium |
| 7 |  | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | 41,965 | Saint-Étienne | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | AS Saint-Étienne | 1931 |
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2024) |
 |
| Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brest | Denis Le Saint | Fruits and Vegetables | |
| Clermont |  Ahmet Schaefer | ||
| Le Havre |  Vincent Volpe | ||
| Lens | Joseph OughourlianAmber Capital | Investments | |
| Lille |  Merlyn Partners | Investments | |
| Lorient | Loïc FéryBill Foley | 300 M€ | Investments |
| Lyon | Eagle Football Holdings LLCJohn Textor | ||
| Marseille | Frank McCourt | 1,2 Mds$ | Sport investments |
| Metz | Bernard Serin | Steel Products | |
| Monaco |  Dmitry Rybolovlev | 7,4 Mds$ | Specialized chemicals, investments |
| Montpellier | Laurent Nicollin | 150 M€ | Waste management |
| Nantes |  Waldemar Kita | 170 M€ | Optical |
| Nice |  Jim Ratcliffe | Chemical industries | |
| Paris |  Qatar Sports Investments Arctos Partners | 4.4B$[17] | Gas & oil |
| Reims | Jean-Pierre Caillot | Transport | |
| Rennes | Francois Pinault | 23 Mds€ | Luxury |
| Strasbourg | BlueCo | ||
| Toulouse | RedBird Capital Partners | Investments |
| Club | Owner(s) | Estimated combined net worth | Source of wealth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chateauroux |  United World GroupAbdullah bin Mossad | Sport Investments | |
| Dijon | Olivier Delcourt | ||
| Le Mans | Thierry Gomez | ||
| Nancy | Chien Lee | Sport Investments | |
| Nîmes | Rani Assaf | Telecommunications | |
| Niort | Ethan Hanouna | ||
| Red Star | 777 Partners | ||
| Sedan | | ||
| Rouen | | ||
| Sochaux | Romain Peugeot | ||
| Versailles | Alexandre Mulliez |
| Most and least likedLigue 1 clubs (L'Actu Sport, 2022)[18] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | % | Net % | |
| Like | Dislike | ||
| Angers | 15.3% | 13.0% | +2.3% |
| Bordeaux | 13.3% | 31.7% | –18.4% |
| Brest | 16.3% | 11.3% | +5.0% |
| Clermont | 19.2% | 6.4% | +12.8% |
| Lens | 57.1% | 10.8% | +46.3% |
| Lille | 17.6% | 21.0% | –1.4% |
| Lorient | 15.7% | 9.8% | +5.9% |
| Lyon | 16.3% | 48.5% | –32.2% |
| Marseille | 10.5% | 45.4% | –34.9% |
| Metz | 5.1% | 21.0% | –15.9% |
| Monaco | 33.4% | 8.3% | +25.1% |
| Montpellier | 15.5% | 18.5% | –3.0% |
| Nantes | 32.6% | 20.4% | +12.2% |
| Nice | 21.1% | 37.5% | –16.4% |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 10.7% | 54.3% | –43.6% |
| Reims | 11.7% | 10.6% | +1.1% |
| Rennes | 26.6% | 12.9% | +13.7% |
| Saint-Étienne | 29.6% | 29.2% | +0.2% |
| Strasbourg | 45.6% | 7.6% | +38.0% |
| Troyes | 5.0% | 11.2% | –6.2% |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)(the last successful archive is 2021 statistics: 1.9 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 15,000 clubs.){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)French Football Federation (President:Philippe Diallo (interim))Ligue féminine de football professionnel (President:Jean-Michel Aulas) | |||||||
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