Ligue 1 Picks & Predictions
Moneyline Picks
Ligue 1
Lens
Brest
Ligue 1
Lorient
Lille
Ligue 1
Toulouse
PSG
Ligue 1
Angers
Rennes
Ligue 1
Le Havre
Nice
Ligue 1
Monaco
Strasbourg
Ligue 1 Overview and Predictions
Ligue 1 predictions are among the most popular soccer previews in the US. Almost every week of the year, bettors place wagers on the matches of the 18 best French clubs, all battling for the title, European spots, or simply to survive and stay in Ligue 1.
From the first matchday in August to the final one in May 2026, our experts’ Ligue 1 predictions help you perform better on online sports betting sites. Check out our general predictions below, along with statistics and tips to help you make the best Ligue 1 picks.
Ligue 1 Winner Prediction: Who Will Take the Trophy in 2025-2026?
Apart from the French championship title, which is almost guaranteed to go to PSG every year, Ligue 1 promises to be fiercely contested from top to bottom until the end of the 2025-2026 season!
On the various pitches of the championship, from the Vélodrome to the Pierre Mauroy, via the Groupama Stadium and the Parc des Princes, France's top clubs will battle it out for the championship title, places in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, as well as their place among the elite.
As for the championship title, PSG is once again the sportsbook favorite before the start of the season, of course. Last year, in its first season without Kylian Mbappé, Paris played even better and had a historic season, winning everything in its path (Ligue 1, Trophée des Champions, Coupe de France, and Champions League).
This year, Luis Enrique's men are once again expected to dominate domestically and not miss their chance to win a fifth consecutive title and retain the French championship trophy for the capital club. Monaco, Lille, and especially Marseille should not be underestimated, but they will struggle to compete over 34 games and will instead fight for European qualification, in our opinion. Our Ligue 1 2025-2026 winner prediction: PSG champions!
Ligue 1 Outrights
- Paris St-G -1000
- Monaco +1700
- Marseille +1700
- Lyon +2700
- Lille +8000
- Nice +10000
- Rennes +15000
- Lens +15000
- Strasbourg +25000
- Toulouse +25000
- Auxerre +100000
- Lorient +100000
- Metz +100000
- Le Havre +100000
- Angers +100000
- Paris FC +100000
- Nantes +100000
- Brest +100000
Odds from FanDuel
Ligue 1 Prediction for the Top 4: Who Will Qualify for the Champions League?
In addition to the future French champion, the teams that finish 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Ligue 1 will earn their tickets to the Champions League (third qualifying round for 4th place). This is a slight change from previous years, when the third-place team only earned a spot in the qualifying playoffs and the fourth-place team did not qualify. This is due to the new Champions League format introduced last year, which is explained in detail in our Champions League predictions.
Behind Paris Saint-Germain, who we expect to be French champions, Monaco and Marseille seem to be the two clubs most capable of taking a place in the top four and even on the podium. These are the two clubs we have little doubt about. They both have superb squads and very good coaches, and have also made some big signings, showing their ambitions for this new season.
Behind them, the battle will be much more intense! We expect a fierce fight between Lille, Nice, and Lyon, for example. While the latter still has to deal with financial difficulties and off-field issues, we have a slight preference for Lille over Nice, which has been very consistent for many years now. Our Ligue 1 top 4 prediction: PSG, Marseille, Monaco, and Lille in the Champions League!
Europa League Qualification: Which Ligue 1 Club Will Make it to the Europa League?
In addition to the winner of the Coupe de France, the future fifth-place finisher in Ligue 1 will qualify for the UEFA Europa League for the 2026-2027 season. In this race for the Europa League, we find the same clubs as those mentioned above (Lyon, Lille, and Nice), along with Strasbourg, Rennes, and Brest. Here, OGC Nice, which has an excellent coach and a very good squad, seems to be the club most likely to take fifth place in the French championship and continue its participation in European competitions.
So, returning to our prediction for the top four in Ligue 1, we add Les Aiglons just behind. Our Europa League prediction: Nice in the Europa League!
Snag a Betting Bonus!
Conference League Qualification: Which Ligue 1 Club Will Make It?
The club that finishes sixth in Ligue 1 this season, or seventh, depending on the winner of the Coupe de France, will be offered the right to participate in the next UEFA Conference League. Considered the third most prestigious European cup, this Conference League has already seen OGC Nice, Stade Rennais, Olympique de Marseille, and LOSC participate, with the latter reaching the quarterfinals two years ago.
Last year, RC Lens took part, although the club from the Pas-de-Calais region was knocked out in the qualifying rounds! This year, Strasbourg will represent France. Suffice to say that, in general, most of the top French clubs are aiming to win at least this European cup.
Looking at our top 5, we could see Lyon slipping in behind all these big names and clinching the last qualifying spot for the European Cup via the championship. The club had a very turbulent summer with the threat of relegation, and may well settle for that if it can't aim higher. We're putting a small bet on Les Gones. Our prediction for the Conference League: Lyon in the Conference League! Making a prediction for this Conference League remains difficult in any case.
Relegation Prediction: Which Ligue 1 Clubs Will Be Relegated?
At the bottom of the league table, the battle for survival is also being fought in Ligue 1 this season. As a reminder, the clubs ranked 17th and 18th at the end of the French championship will be relegated to Ligue 2 for the 2026-2027 season, and the club ranked 16th will play off against a club from Ligue 2 to maintain its position.
In the quest to avoid these bottom three places, several clubs are involved, and we can imagine, for example, Le Havre, FC Lorient, Metz, and Auxerre fighting it out throughout the year. We have little hope for Le Havre, which has been flirting with the relegation zone for two years, or for Metz, which is no stranger to the yo-yo effect. As for third place, it's harder to predict, but we're putting our money on Lorient. Our Ligue 1 relegation prediction: Le Havre, Lorient, and Metz among the bottom three!
2025-2026 Ligue 1 Top Scorer Prediction
In addition to the team goals, there's an individual title that’s especially competitive in Ligue 1: the golden boot. So, which forward could become the top scorer in the French league in 2025-2026? Here’s a list of players to watch this season:
- Georges Mikautadze (Lyon)
- Olivier Giroud (LOSC)
- Amine Gouiri (Marseille)
- Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
- Mason Greenwood (Marseille)
- Mika Biereth (AS Monaco)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille)
Beginner Bettors – How Does Ligue 1 Work for Your Sports Bets?
Ligue 1 is the top-tier French soccer league. This elite competition features the 18 best French teams, competing in a home-and-away format. From August to December, all the clubs face off once, and the schedule repeats from January to May. So, each team plays every other team twice—once at home and once away. In total, there are 34 matchdays, making up 306 matches.
At the end of the season, several positions have an impact on the future of the clubs:
- The team finishing in 1st place is the French champion and qualifies for the Champions League.
- The teams finishing 2nd and 3rd also qualify for the Champions League.
- The team finishing in 4th place qualifies for the Champions League qualification rounds.
- The team finishing in 5th place qualifies for the Europa League.
- The team finishing in 6th place (or 7th, depending on the winner of the French Cup) qualifies for the Conference League.
- The team finishing in 16th place plays a relegation playoff to avoid dropping down to Ligue 2.
- The teams finishing in 17th and 18th are relegated to Ligue 2.
So, there are multiple stakes in this French soccer league, which is why Ligue 1 predictions are the most popular among American bettors on the top online sportsbooks for soccer.
Snag a Betting Bonus!
How to Make Accurate Ligue 1 Predictions?
Successful Ligue 1 predictions require knowledge of the league, as well as good betting practices. A specialist in Ligue 1 for many years, SportyTrader shares its top tips for making accurate predictions:
- Check the team form in Ligue 1
- Consider the form of key Ligue 1 players
- Know the list of absent Ligue 1 players
- Assess the psychological context
- Analyze the latest stats in the French league
These 5 tips for predicting Ligue 1 matches are the most important according to our editorial team, although they aren't the only factors to consider. We’ll go into more detail on each one below.
Check the team form in Ligue 1
The first step in making a reliable prediction on Ligue 1 is to check the latest results of the two teams involved in your soccer bet. For example, if PSG is playing Lens, but PSG hasn’t won in three weeks while Lens is unbeaten in 15 matches, despite being the favorite, a more reliable bet might be to take a double chance on a Draw or Lens. A team in good form should always be favored in your Ligue 1 bets.
On this point, we emphasize the importance of not just looking at the most recent scores, but also the performances behind them. Possession, Expected Goals (xG), number of shots allowed, shots on target, fouls committed or suffered, etc., all play a role. Don’t forget that a team might be coming off an unexpected loss in a match where they were just unlucky.
Consider the form of key Ligue 1 players
Similarly to considering team form, you also need to focus on the individual form of the star players on each team. For example, imagine that a team's top scorer hasn’t scored in the last 10 games, or that the usually solid goalkeeper has made two notable mistakes: their poor form should definitely be taken into account!
Ligue 1 teams are reliant on one or two key players in terms of performance, and when these players are out of form, the results don’t always come through. A real-life example: last year, when Lacazette or David were having a rough patch, Lyon and Lille were much less effective.
Know the list of absent Ligue 1 players
Building on the previous point, we strongly recommend checking the list of absent players for the upcoming Ligue 1 weekend. Key players might be missing due to injury, suspension, or even a coach's decision to leave a player out, and their absence could significantly impact their team's performance.
Is the team captain suspended? Is one or both of the centerbacks out this week? Has the top scorer been left out of the lineup for bad behavior in training? Be cautious and don’t allocate too much of your bankroll to one match. You might be in for a bad surprise.
Assess the psychological context
Another good habit for a Ligue 1 bettor is to pay attention to the psychological and mental environment surrounding the match you want to bet on. Several factors should be considered here: rivalry between clubs, media statements before the match, a recent tense confrontation, the stakes of the game... anything that could mentally affect the teams should not be overlooked.
If you're a fan of betting on Over 2.5 goals in Ligue 1 (more than 2.5 goals total), be cautious with matchups where the pressure is high (relegation battles at the end of the season, derbies), as these are less likely to be high-scoring. If a team has lost 6 straight matches against their opponent, avoid betting on their victory—they’ll likely have a psychological disadvantage. There are many possible scenarios, so make sure to analyze them carefully (our expert tipsters take these into account when making their Ligue 1 weekend predictions).
Analyze the latest stats in the French league
Finally, the fifth key piece of advice is to always analyze the statistics of each Ligue 1 club. Knowing the different stats will help you make better predictions and bet like an expert on alternative markets (total goals, exact score, match result, which half will have the most goals, etc.).
Has a team hit the "Over 2.5 goals" in 80% of their Ligue 1 matches this season? You might want to take a chance on them for the upcoming match. This is just one example of how you can use stats to guide your betting. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of a sportsbook's bonus to place a few bets.
To wrap up these main tips, know that our editorial team always takes these factors into account when making every Ligue 1 prediction of the season, along with about ten other algorithmic parameters.
By simply checking our Ligue 1 result predictions, you'll get the most reliable overall view of the upcoming matchdays. So, make it a habit to read our predictions before each Ligue 1 weekend.
What Not to Do When Making Ligue 1 Predictions
To be successful with your Ligue 1 predictions, there are certain behaviors to avoid. Here’s what we strongly advise against when making a prediction for Ligue 1:
- Not analyzing the match in detail
- Only considering the prestige of a club
- Simply betting on the lowest odds
- Betting on a meaningless Ligue 1 match at the end of the season
- Chasing losses after losing a Ligue 1 bet
- Jumping on boosted odds without analysis
- Repeatedly betting on your favorite team
Every week, many bettors—both beginners and experienced—get caught up and lose money too easily by adopting one of these behaviors. So, make sure not to make these mistakes this season in Ligue 1.
Snag a Betting Bonus!
Ligue 1 Stats to Know for Your Predictions
Hitting the most Ligue 1 bets comes down to knowing the key stats from the French top flight. Here are the numbers to keep in mind for your Ligue 1 picks, taken from last season’s competition:
- Home wins: 47%
- Draws: 20%
- Away wins: 33%
- Goals per game: 2.98
- Over 0.5 goals: 95%
- Under 0.5 goals: 5%
- Over 1.5 goals: 82%
- Under 1.5 goals: 18%
- Over 2.5 goals: 56%
- Under 2.5 goals: 44%
- Over 3.5 goals: 35%
- Under 3.5 goals: 65%
- Over 4.5 goals: 18%
- Under 4.5 goals: 82%
- Most goals scored by quarter-hour: 76th–90th minute (22%)
- Goals in 1st half: 44%
- Goals in 2nd half: 56%
- Average goals scored by home teams: 1.61
- Average goals scored by away teams: 1.37
- “Both teams to score – Yes”: 56%
- Average shots per match: 23.95
- Wins by 2+ goals (handicap): 45.6% of games
- Exact score 0-0: 4.6%
- Exact score 1-1: 10.8%
- Most common final score: 2-0 or 0-2 (16% of matches)
For Ligue 1 betting, the best angles are Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score – Yes. Last season delivered a solid goals-per-game average, and Overs cashed more often than not. While Ligue 1 might not be the most high-flying league in the world, it consistently offers one of the best goal averages across Europe.
Home teams also delivered at a strong clip, winning 47% of the time, so keep an eye on moneyline spots. Draws only came in at 20%, while visiting sides actually took 33% of matches. That balance creates some juicy moneyline odds to work with.
When it comes to goals, just like in most leagues, the second half is where the action heats up, especially the final 15 minutes, which saw the highest scoring rate. That’s another trend worth targeting in live betting markets.
Finally, don’t sleep on exact score wagers. They’re always long shots, but with 1-1 hitting more than 10% of the time and 2-0/0-2 as the most frequent outcomes, there’s real potential if you like taking a swing. Nothing’s guaranteed, of course, but the payouts can be worth it.
In short: How to make accurate Ligue 1 predictions and bet wisely on a Ligue 1 match?
To make reliable and winning predictions on Ligue 1 soccer, there are several things you should do: analyze the matches, follow the best practices outlined on this page, understand how the league works, and familiarize yourself with the most important stats.
If you don't have the time to analyze every Ligue 1 match in detail, you can simply check out the predictions from our Ligue 1 experts, available each week at the top of this page. These predictions are free, accessible, and 100% human (no fully automated or robotic analysis!). They’ll help you make smart bets on the French league this season.
Our Current Top Ligue 1 Predictions
There are no previews at the moment for this competition
Ligue 1 Soccer Betting Odds
Odds are not yet available for this competition.
