Who has won the most French Ligue 1 titles?

Brad Newcomb

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Last updated: 23 Sep 2024

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Brad Newcomb 23 Sep 2024

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French Ligue 1 began in 1932 with 20 teams.
Historic clubs include Olympique Lillois, Saint-Etienne, Marseille, and Lyon.
Paris Saint-Germain has dominated recent seasons with 10 titles since 2013.

Caleta-Car celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match (Getty Images)

The French Ligue 1 is the top football division in France and is ranked one of the best leagues in Europe. It is known for showcasing world-class players and young talent in thrilling matches supported by passionate fans each season.

In 1932, the inaugural season of the French football league, called National, took place with 20 teams participating, including Ales, Antibes, CA Paris, Cannes, Club Francais, Excelsior AC Roubaix, Fives, Hyeres, Marseille, Metz, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nice, Nimes, Olympique Lillois, Racing Club de France, Red Star Olympique, Rennes, Sete, and Sochaux.

Two groups were formed with ten teams in each, with the winner of each group facing each other in the final. Olympique Lillois defeated Cannes 4-3 in the final in 1933 to win the first National title.

The following season, the league was renamed Division 1, and 14 teams would play each other home and away in one league. FC Sete won the title after edging SC Fives and Marseille by one point.

From 1945 onwards, the number of teams competing in the top flight of French football has fluctuated between 20 to 18 teams.

The league resumed after World War II ended, with Reims and Nice emerging as the best teams in France. The former clinched the title in 1949, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960, and 1962, while the latter did in 1951, 1952, 1956, and 1959.

Saint Etienne was the next club to rise to the top of the pile in France, winning Division 1 on ten occasions in 1957, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1981.

Under captain Didier Deschamps, Marseille won Ligue 1 in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992, including the UEFA Champions League the following season, becoming the only French team to clinch the coveted title.

Nantes won their seventh Ligue 1 title in record fashion, winning 32 consecutive matches and one defeat during the 1994/95 season.

In 2002, the league changed its name from Division 1 to Ligue 1, with Lyon dominating the new division in the first decade of the 2000s, securing a record, seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles between 2002 and 2008.

In recent seasons, Paris Saint-Germain have dominated the French Ligue 1, winning an impressive ten titles in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, with the help of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi.

Argentine Delio Onnis has scored the most goals in the French Ligue 1, with 299 in 449 matches.

Josip Skoblar holds the record for most goals scored in a single season, with 44 in the 1970/71 season.

Below is the list of the most successful teams to have won the French Ligue 1 title.