Ligue 1 doesn't have the best of reputations among football enthusiasts, often referred to as a 'farmers league' in recent years. Paris Saint-Germain have clinched the title ten times in the last 12 seasons and the quality isn't always brilliant when you go down the standings. On the other hand, a lot of talented players have come out of the league.
Kylian Mbappe immediately springs to mind, getting his breakthrough with Monaco, while other notable players are Aurelien Tchouameni, Rafael Leao and Jeremy Doku. In short, although the reputation isn't always the best, there are evidently quality players coming through and this makes it an interesting league.
Of course, Ligue 1 would greatly benefit from a competitive title race every year. We saw the perks of this in the 2022/23 season as Lens finished just one point behind PSG, immediately attracting more viewers.
As things stand, there is no broadcaster for the 2024/25 season of Ligue 1 in the UK. TNT Sports owned the rights during the 2023/24 season but are yet to renew their deal. On the other hand, this is also the case for a few other leagues and a solution is expected to be in place ahead of the season opener. Worst case, punters will have to watch on betting sites with streaming.
Champions League spots: Unlike the other top-five leagues, Ligue 1 only has three guaranteed spots for the Champions League. That could increase to four spots with good performances in UEFA competitions and it's not as unlikely as some might think. The French association actually performed better than Spain's on that front last season.
League table rules: Just like the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 only has 18 teams instead of 20. The two rock-bottom teams at the end of every season are immediately relegated. The third team from the bottom, meanwhile, must face the play-off winner from Ligue 2 in a two-legged relegation tie. If two teams finish on the amount of same points, goal difference acts as the decider.
Kick-off times: Most of the Ligue 1 games are played on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. A majority of them are played on the latter, but Monday and mid-week clashes also occur from time to time. Speaking of, the kick-off times are usually 13:00, 17:00, 20:45 and 21:00, with the latter being the most common one.
TV rights debacle: Ever since 2018, when LFP sold the 2020-24 broadcasting rights to Mediapro for around €3.2bn, the situation has been a nightmare. The agreement angered several of the previous partners (including Canal+) and things got worse as Mediapro went bust within the first season. A cut-price deal had to be signed and since then, LFP has been scrambling for a good deal. Naturally, this has had a big effect on the financials of the clubs.
Below, we have listed the key facts of the best Ligue 1 betting sites in the UK. As such, you can easily compare the bookies and decide which is best for your French betting needs.
💻 Operator | 📊 Ligue 1 Betting Margins | ⚽ Average Ligue 1 Markets | 👷 Bet Builder | 💰 Ligue 1 Promotions | 📺 Ligue 1 Streaming | Join Bookie 👇 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9% | 250+ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Bet on Ligue 1 |
| 6.95% | 200+ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Bet on Ligue 1 |
| 5.71% | 250+ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Bet on Ligue 1 |
| 5.71% | 250+ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Bet on Ligue 1 |
| 5.45% | 100 | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Bet on Ligue 1 |