Ligue 1
Ligue 1 2025/2026 Preview and Friendly Roundup - Paris' Season to Lose?

The top league of French Football is back in action next month as Stade Rennais take on Olympique de Marseille in the opening match of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season. With an interesting offseason for the league for many reasons, this is a run through of the key preseason matches and how the teams are shaping up.

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, there are several key narratives at play that are keeping the fans talking.

Returning champions and Champions League winners Paris St Germain are fresh off a crushing 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final. Sixth placed Lyon face relegation over their finances. Third placed Monaco have signed Paul Pogba, back from a two year doping ban.

It’s all set to kick off heading into the new Ligue 1 season, and these are the storylines you need to know.

Paris St Germaine’s Season to Lose

If you’re a betting person, a wager against Paris St Germaine doesn’t look too sensible at the moment.

France’s biggest club team has been domestically dominant for half a decade now, but last season was their best yet. Few would bet against them repeating at least some of those successes this year.

Luckily, the best football betting sites in France will offer a range of markets and features to even the playing field a little. Odds boosts and varied in-game markets could help you find a bet to beat the market, even if you want to bet on Paris St Germain.

The Parisians stormed to the Ligue 1 title by some 20 points and cruised to victory in the Champions League, despite losing key man Kylian M’Bappe to Spanish rivals Real Madrid before the season even began.

Going into the season, they are once again the clear betting favourites for the title. But there could be rumblings of discontent. Key stars yet to sign new contracts include:

  • Vice captain and popular goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma
  • Young, highly rated winger Désiré Doué
  • Highest paid player and midfield engine Ousmane Dembélé

They were also recently steamrolled 3-0 by Chelsea, a team that struggled somewhat in the English Premier League last season.

Lyon Controversy Dominates the Best of The Rest

Outside of the champions’ capitulation in the Club World Cup final, the biggest story from the top six teams of the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season has undoubtedly been the financial troubles of Olympique Lyonnais.

The once dominant club - winning seven Ligue 1 titles between 2002 and 2008 - were (briefly) relegated to Ligue 2 due to their owners’ huge debts. However, the league regulators overturned the decision on appeal days later. That was after an emergency meeting with club owner John Textor.

The American businessman shares ownership across multiple clubs and has been attempting to build a stable of football clubs in Europe and South America. But not too much success so far.

The Eagle Holdings venture currently has debts of £422 million, although Textor argues that figure is misrepresented. Regardless, the off-field issues mean Lyon are yet to kick a ball in the offseason - as well as losing their manager - and the team and fans must be full of uncertainty.

For that reason, OL can’t be attracting much betting action at the moment. They might even be a longshot pick to not be in the league at the start of the season.

All Change at Lens, Looking to Push On

Just outside of the European places, one club that could be a dark horse in the league is RC Lens. The club that challenged for the top positions in a few years ago has fallen off somewhat in the past two years.

This preseason, they’ve appointed a new manager in Pierre Sage, formerly of Lyon. The experienced tactician has already bought in several new signings, signalling a change in direction from the tenure of former manager Will Still.

The club's incoming players for the new season include:

  • Veteran defender Matthieu Udol
  • Promising winger Samson Baidoo
  • Another highly experienced player in goalkeeper Regis Gurtner

Lens just missed out on Europe last year, after fading out towards the end of the season, and they must be hopeful Sage can bring something new to the table.

Les Sang et Or recently drew 2-2 with Belgium’s Standard Liege. They showed good character to come back from 0-2 down in their new manager’s first match in charge.

Lille Looking Sharp, Other Standout Matches

Elsewhere, the standout performer in the off-season has been LOSC Lille. Les Dogues cruised past Belgians Gent and then demolished Ligue 2 Amiens 5-0. However, they also squeezed in a loss to the Cesc Fabregas-managed minnows Cuomo, going down 3-2 to an extra time goal from the Italians.

AS Monaco were also looking good. Last year’s third place team recruited controversial star Paul Pogba in the off-season, despite two years out of the game after being banned for doping.

Pogba did not contribute to their impressive preseason however. He was absent for the three games so far, which included a 5-0 demolition of England’s Coventry City.

So there you have it, a quick rundown of the preseason performances going into Ligue 1 2025/2026, and what to look out for if you’re of the betting persuasion. Best of luck!

Published by Patrick Jane
04.08.2025