Ligue 2

For the Ivory Coast league with the same name, see Ligue 2 (Côte d'Ivoire).

Ligue 2

Founded	1933
Country	France
Confederation	UEFA
Number of clubs	20
Level on pyramid	2
Promotion to	Ligue 1
Relegation to	Championnat National
Domestic cup(s)	Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue
International cup(s)	Europa League (via domestic cups)
Current champions	Troyes (2014–15)
TV partners	beIN Sport
Website	Official site
Current: 2015–16 Ligue 2

Ligue 2 (French pronunciation: [liɡ dø]), formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with both Ligue 1 and the third division Championnat National. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 38 games each totaling 380 games in the season. Most games are played on Fridays and Mondays, with a few games played during weekday and weekend evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in the second week of January.

Ligue 2 was founded a year after the creation of the first division in 1933 under the name Division 2 and has served as the second division of French football ever since. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. Since the league is a part of the LFP, it allows clubs who are on the brink of professionalism to become so. However, if a club suffers relegation to the Championnat National, its professional status can be revoked temporarily until they return to Ligue 2. The current champions are Metz who will be returning to Ligue 1 in 2014-15.

Ligue 2, alongside its first division counterpart, is generally regarded as competently run, with good planning of fixtures, complete and consistently enforced rules, timely resolution of issues, and adequate escalation procedures of judicial disputes to national or international institutions.

History

Division 2 champions (Pre-WWII)

Season	Winner
1933–34	Red Star Saint-Ouen
1934–35	CS Metz
1935–36	Rouen
1936–37	Lens
1937–38	Le Havre
1938–39	Red Star Saint-Ouen
Further information: French second division champions

The second division of French football was established in 1933, one year after the creation of the all-professional first division. The inaugural season of the competition consisted of the six clubs who were relegated following the 1932–33 National season, as well as many of the clubs who opposed the creation of the first division the previous season. Clubs such as Strasbourg, RC Roubaix, and Amiens SC all played in the second division's debut season despite having prior grievances with the subjective criteria needed to become professional and play in the first division. The first year of the second division consisted of twenty-three clubs and were divided into two groups (Nord and Sud). Fourteen of the clubs were inserted into the Nord section, while the remaining nine were placed in Sud. Following the season, the winner of each group faced each other to determined which club would earn promotion. On 20 May 1934, the winner of the Nord group, Red Star Saint-Ouen, faced Olympique Alès, the winner of the Sud group. Red Star were crowned the league's inaugural champions following a 3–2 victory. Despite losing, Alès was also promoted to the first division and they were followed by Strasbourg and Mulhouse, who each won a pool championship, after the first division agreed to expand its teams to 16.

Due to several clubs merging, folding, or losing their professional status, the federation turned the second division into a 16-team league and adopted the single-table method for the 1934–35 season. Due to the unpredictable nature of French football clubs, the following season, the league increased to 19 clubs and, two years later, increased its allotment to 25 teams with the clubs being divided into four groups. Because of World War II, football was suspended by the French government and the Ligue de Football Professionnel. Following the end of the war, the second division developed stability. Due to the increase in amateur clubs, the league intertwined professional and amateur clubs and allowed the latter to become professional if they met certain benchmarks. In 2002, the league changed its name from Division 2 to Ligue 2.

In November 2014, the presidents of Caen and Nîmes were amongst several arrested on suspicion of match fixing. The arrests followed a 1–1 draw between Caen and Nîmes in May 2014, a result very beneficial for each club.

Competition format

There are 20 clubs in Ligue 2. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 38 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion and promoted to Ligue 1. If points are equal, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship or for relegation, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The second and third-place finisher are also promoted to the first division, while the three lowest placed teams are relegated to the Championnat National and the top three teams from National are promoted in their place.

Members of the Ligue 2 (2015–16 season)

Ajaccio

Auxerre

Bourg-Péronnas

Brest

Clermont

Créteil

Dijon

Evian

Laval

Le Havre

Lens

Metz

Nancy

Nîmes

Niort

Paris

Red Star

Sochaux

Tours

Valenciennes

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Location of teams in 2015–16 Ligue 2

Club	Location	Venue	Capacity
Ajaccio	Ajaccio	Stade François Coty	10,660
Auxerre	Auxerre	Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps	21,379
Bourg-Péronnas	Péronnas	Stade Marcel-Verchère1	11,400
Brest	Brest	Stade Francis-Le Blé	15,097
Clermont Foot	Clermont-Ferrand	Stade Gabriel Montpied	11,980
Créteil	Créteil	Stade Dominique Duvauchelle	12,050
Dijon	Dijon	Stade Gaston Gérard	16,098
Évian	Annecy	Parc des Sports	15,660
Laval	Laval	Stade Francis Le Basser	18,607
Le Havre	Le Havre	Stade Océane	25,000
Lens	Lens	Stade Bollaert-Delelis	35,000
Metz	Metz	Stade Saint-Symphorien	24,500
Nancy	Tomblaine	Stade Marcel Picot	20,087
Nîmes	Nîmes	Stade des Costières	18,482
Niort	Niort	Stade René Gaillard	10,886
Paris	Paris	Stade Sébastien Charléty	20,000
Red Star	Saint-Ouen	Stade Pierre Brisson2	10,178
Sochaux	Montbéliard	Stade Auguste Bonal	20,000
Tours	Tours	Stade de la Vallée du Cher	16,247
Valenciennes	Valenciennes	Stade du Hainaut	25,172

• ¹ Bourg-Péronnas original stadium, Stade Municipal de Péronnas, is not homologated to host professional matches. The club will play its home games at Stade Marcel-Verchère, home stadium of Bourg-en-Bresse professional rugby union team, after the stadium's renovation. Bourg-Péronnas will play its first games at Stade Jean Laville in Gueugnon.

• ² Red Star original stadium, Stade Bauer, is not homologated to host professional matches. The club will play its home games at Stade Pierre Brisson in Beauvais. Additionally, Red Star will host a number of games to be determined later at Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Previous winners

Main article: List of French second division champions

Top goalscorers

Year	Goals	Top scorer(s)	Club(s)
1934	54 goals	Jean Nicolas	FC Rouen
1935	30 goals	Jean Nicolas	FC Rouen
1936	45 goals	Jean Nicolas	FC Rouen
1937	30 goals	Viktor Spechtl	RC Lens
1938	29 goals	Hugo Lammana	CA Paris
1939	39 goals	Harold Newell Planques	US Boulogne Toulouse FC (1937)
World War II
1946	27 goals	Campiglia	SCO Angers
1947	45 goals	Jozef "Pépé" Humpal	FC Sochaux
1948	28 goals	Henri Arnaudeau	Girondins de Bordeaux
1949	41 goals	Camille Libar	Girondins de Bordeaux
1950	27 goals	Edmund Haan	Nîmes Olympique
1951	23 goals	Thadée Cisowski	FC Metz
1952	34 goals	Egon Jonsson	Stade Français football
1953	27 goals	Bror Mellberg	Toulouse FC (1937)
1954	36 goals	Jean Courteaux	RC Paris
1955	40 goals	Petrus Van Rhijn	Valenciennes Football Club
1956	32 goals	Petrus Van Rhijn	Valenciennes Football Club
1957	27 goals	Fernand Devlaeminck	Lille OSC
1958	29 goals	Egon Jonsson	FC Nancy
1959	31 goals	Petrus Van Rhijn	Stade Français football
1960	29 goals	Corbel	FC Rouen
1961	28 goals	Casimir Kozakiewicz	RC Strasbourg
1962	21 goals	Serge Masnaghetti	Valenciennes Football Club
1963	24 goals	Ernesto Gianella	AS Béziers (football)
1964	21 goals	Abderrahmane Soukhane	Le Havre AC
1965	22 goals	Anton Groschulski	Red Star Saint-Ouen
1966	30 goals	Pierre Ferrazzi	Grenoble Foot 38
1967	23 goals	Etienne Sansonetti	SC Bastia
1968	26 goals	Jacques Bonnet	Avignon Football 84
1969	55 goals	Gérard Grizetti	AS Angoulême
1970	21 goals	Robert Blanc	FC Nancy
1971	20 goals 20 goals 20 goals	Nord : Yves Triantafyllos Centre : Robert Blanc Sud : Emmanuel Koum	US Boulogne Limoges Foot 87 AS Monaco
1972	20 goals 28 goals 40 goals	Gr. A : Pierre Pleimelding Gr. B : Yegba Maya Joseph Gr. C : Marc Molitor	Troyes AC Valenciennes Football Club RC Strasbourg
1973	22 goals 31 goals	Gr. A : Eugeniusz Faber Gr. B : Gérard Tonnel	RC Lens Troyes AC
1974	26 goals 24 goals	Gr. A : Erwin Wilczek Gr. B : Nestor Combin	Valenciennes Football Club Red Star Saint-Ouen
1975	25 goals 28 goals	Gr. A : Georges Tripp Gr. B : Jean Martinez	Stade Laval AS Nancy
1976	22 goals 25 goals	Gr. A : Bozidar Antic Gr. B : Marc Berdoll	SM Caen SCO Angers
1977	30 goals 24 goals	Gr. A : Delio Onnis Gr. B : Albert Gemmrich	AS Monaco RC Strasbourg
1978	19 goals 23 goals	Gr. A : Giudicelli Gr. B : Jean-Claude Garnier Gr. B : Pierre-Antoine Dossevi	Olympique Alès USL Dunkerque Tours FC
1979	24 goals 26 goals	Gr. A : Antoine Trivino Gr. B : Patrice Martet	FC Gueugnon Stade Brestois
1980	16 goals 19 goals	Gr. A : Alain Polaniok Gr. A : Bernard Ferrigno Gr. B : Jacky Vergnes Gr. B : Robert Pintenat	Stade de Reims Tours FC Montpellier HSC Toulouse FC
1981	32 goals 22 goals	Gr. A : Robert Pintenat Gr. B : Marcel Campagnac	Toulouse FC Sporting Club Abbeville
1982	18 goals 25 goals	Gr. A : Marc Pascal Gr. B : Zarko Olaveric Gr. B : Isiaka Ouattara	Olympique de Marseille Le Havre AC FC Mulhouse
1983	28 goals 18 goals	Gr. A : Wlodzimierz Lubanski Gr. B : Christian Dalger	Valenciennes Football Club Sporting Toulon Var
1984	23 goals 23 goals	Gr. A : Mario Relmy Gr. B : Omar Da Fonseca	Limoges Foot 87 Tours FC
1985	27 goals 28 goals	Gr. A : John Eriksen Gr. B : Jorge Dominguez	FC Mulhouse OGC Nice
1986	22 goals 29 goals	Gr. A : Jean-Marc Valadier Gr. B : Eugene N'Goy Kabongo	Montpellier HSC RC Paris
1987	22 goals 21 goals	Gr. A : Zvonko Kurbos Gr. B : Gaspard N'Gouete	FC Mulhouse SC Bastia
1988	18 goals   26 goals	Gr. A : Jean-Pierre Orts Gr. A : Stéphane Paille Gr. B : Patrice Martet	Olympique Lyonnais FC Sochaux FC Rouen
1989	22 goals 27 goals	Gr. A : Roberto Cabanas Gr. B : Robby Langers	Stade Brestois US Orléans
1990	26 goals 21 goals	Gr. A : Didier Monczuk Gr. B : Jean-Pierre Orts	RC Strasbourg FC Rouen
1991	23 goals 19 goals	Gr. A : Didier Monczuk Gr. B : Christophe Lagrange	RC Strasbourg SCO Angers
1992	22 goals 21 goals	Gr. A : Jean-Pierre Orts Gr. B : Didier Monczuk	FC Rouen RC Strasbourg
1993	21 goals 18 goals	Gr. A : Franck Priou Gr. B : Jean-Pierre Orts	AS Cannes FC Rouen
1994	27 goals	Yannick Le Saux	Stade Briochin
1995	31 goals	Tony Cascarino	Olympique Marseille
1996	30 goals	Tony Cascarino	Olympique Marseille
1997	23 goals	Samuel Michel	FC Sochaux
1998	20 goals	Reginald Ray	Le Mans Union Club 72
1999	20 goals	Hamed Diallo	Stade Laval
2000	17 goals	Amara Traoré	FC Gueugnon
2001	21 goals	Francileudo Santos	FC Sochaux
2002	18 goals	Hamed Diallo	Amiens SC
2003	20 goals	Cédric Fauré	Toulouse FC
2004	17 goals	David Suarez	Amiens SC
2005	24 goals	Bakari Koné	FC Lorient
2006	16 goals	Jean-Michel Lesage	Le Havre AC
		Steve Savidan	Valenciennes Football Club
2007	18 goals	Jean-Michel Lesage	Le Havre AC
		Kandia Traore	Le Havre AC
2008	28 goals	Guillaume Hoarau	Le Havre AC
2009	18 goals	Grégory Thil	US Boulogne
2010	21 goals	Olivier Giroud	Tours FC
2011	23 goals	Sebastián Ribas	Dijon FCO
2012	15 goals	Cédric Fauré	Reims
2013	23 goals	Mustapha Yatabaré	EA Guingamp
2014	23 goals	Andy Delort & Mathieu Duhamel	Tours FC & SM Caen

Records

• 11 minutes: the time it took Sebastian Ribas (Dijon FCO, 2010/2011 season) to score the fastest hat trick in the history of Ligue 2.
• 5 times: the number of times Le Havre AC won the second division championship.
• Number of points won by a team in a single season, without being able to promote to the Ligue 1:

o 77 points (1994-1995 season) or 1.833 points per game (42 games) for Toulouse FC.

o 72 points (1995-1996 season, 22 teams involved): or 1.71 points per game for Stade Lavallois.

o 69 points (2006-2007 season, 20 teams involved): or 1.82 points per game for Amiens SC.

• 128 goals: The number of goals scored in 40 games ( a single season) by SCO Angers in 40 games, (1968-1969 season).
• 55 goals: the number of goals scored in a season by Gerard Grizzetti, forward playing for AS Angoulême (1969).
• 41 seasons: Number of seasons played by the RCFC Besançon and AS Cannes.
• The fastest goal in the history of Ligue 2 was marked on 26 September 2009 by Remi Nantais Maréval against Nîmes Olympique. After eight seconds of play, the ball crossed the goal line of Nicolas Puydebois.

Broadcaster

Broadcaster	Duration
beIN Sport	2012/13 - 2015/16
Eurosport	2010/11 - 2011/12
Eurosport & Numericable	2008/09 - 2009/10

External links

• Official site:
  • French
  • English
• League321.com - French football league tables, records & statistics database.