Ligue 2 goals and draws: a higher scoring rate, fewer stalemates
Ligue 2 reached 2.724 goals per match in 2017, when only 22.89% of regular-season games were draws. In the latest 18-club rows, scoring stayed (…)
Ligue 2 is a men’s football league in France, established in 1933. On Xtra-Stats, visitors can follow live scores, upcoming fixtures, results and standings, while exploring player and team statistics across the competition’s recorded seasons from 2010 to 2025. The page brings core match and performance information together for straightforward season-by-season reference.
Upcoming matches, Ligue 2
Regular Season - 7
-
- Regular Season - 7
Annecy
Dijon
Parc des Sports -
- Regular Season - 7
Grenoble
Clermont Foot
Stade des Alpes -
- Regular Season - 7
Laval
Sochaux
Stade Francis Le Basser -
- Regular Season - 7
Rodez
Nancy
Stade Paul Lignon -
- Regular Season - 7PAU
Dunkerque
-
- Regular Season - 7
Reims
Montpellier
Stade Auguste-Delaune -
- Regular Season - 7
Boulogne
Nantes
-
- Regular Season - 7
Guingamp
RED Star FC 93
-
- Regular Season - 7
Metz
Saint Etienne
Regular Season - 8
-
- Regular Season - 8
Sochaux
Boulogne
Latest played matches, Ligue 2
Regular Season - 6
Regular Season - 5
Ligue 2 Standings
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Saint Etienne | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 15 | LWWWW |
| 2 |
|
Reims | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 12 | WDWWD |
| 3 |
|
Montpellier | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 11 | WLDWW |
| 4 |
|
RED Star FC 93 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | WWLDD |
| 5 |
|
Annecy | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 | LWDLW |
| 6 |
|
Metz | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 | LWDDD |
| 7 |
|
Sochaux | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 9 | WDDWD |
| 8 |
|
Dunkerque | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | WDLLD |
| 9 |
|
Guingamp | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | WDDLW |
| 10 |
|
Nancy | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | LLWWL |
| 11 |
|
Rodez | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 7 | LLDWL |
| 12 |
|
Grenoble | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 7 | WLWLD |
| 13 |
|
Dijon | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 6 | WDLDL |
| 14 |
|
Boulogne | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 5 | DDDDL |
| 15 | PAU | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 5 | LDDLW | |
| 16 |
|
Clermont Foot | 6 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 5 | DDDDL |
| 17 |
|
Nantes | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 4 | LWDLL |
| 18 |
|
Laval | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | LLLDW |
Promotion - Ligue 1
Promotion - Ligue 1 (Promotion - Play Offs: Final)
Promotion - Ligue 1 (Promotion - Play Offs: Semi-finals)
Ligue 2 (Relegation)
Relegation - Ligue 3
Ligue 2 Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
I. Baldé
Rodez |
5 |
| 2 |
Y. Fofana
Reims |
5 |
| 3 |
I. Cardona
Saint Etienne |
4 |
| 4 |
P. Fall
Metz |
4 |
| 5 |
T. Ballo
Saint Etienne |
4 |
| 6 |
B. Leye
PAU |
3 |
| 7 |
Samy Olivier Chouchane
Dijon |
3 |
| 8 |
A. Boakye
Saint Etienne |
3 |
| 9 |
K. Corredor
Nantes |
2 |
| 10 |
T. Rambaud
Annecy |
2 |
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
I. Cardona
Saint Etienne |
4 |
| 2 |
D. Guindo
Reims |
3 |
| 3 |
R. Lipinski
Rodez |
3 |
| 4 |
E. Clavreul
Laval |
3 |
| 5 |
Dunkerque |
2 |
| 6 |
J. Breum
Saint Etienne |
2 |
| 7 |
P. Venot
Annecy |
2 |
| 8 |
Z. Davitashvili
Saint Etienne |
2 |
| 9 |
T. Robinet
Dunkerque |
2 |
| 10 |
T. Averlant
Guingamp |
2 |
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
- Vidal 3
- J. Akpa Akpro 3
- Meddah 3
- Lembezat 2
- K. Ayari 2
- Breum Martinsen 2
- Rambaud 2
- Maggiotti 2
- Younoussa 2
- I. Mohamed 2
Ligue 2 teams participation since 2010
History
No description available.
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| Clermont Foot | 13 |
| Le Havre | 13 |
| Ajaccio | 11 |
| Auxerre | 11 |
| Estac Troyes | 11 |
| Niort | 11 |
| Laval | 11 |
| Valenciennes | 10 |
| Guingamp | 9 |
| Nimes | 9 |
| Grenoble | 9 |
| Nancy | 9 |
| Chateauroux | 9 |
| Paris FC | 9 |
| Sochaux | 9 |
| Amiens | 8 |
| Caen | 8 |
| Lens | 8 |
| Tours | 8 |
| Dijon | 7 |
| Metz | 7 |
| Rodez | 7 |
| Angers | 6 |
| Stade Brestois 29 | 6 |
| PAU | 6 |
| Bastia | 6 |
| Reims | 5 |
| Gazelec FC Ajaccio | 5 |
| Orleans | 5 |
| RED Star FC 93 | 5 |
| Le Mans | 5 |
| Dunkerque | 5 |
| Lorient | 4 |
| Quevilly | 4 |
| Boulogne | 4 |
| Annecy | 4 |
| Istres | 4 |
| Arles | 4 |
| Nantes | 3 |
| Bourg-en-bresse 01 | 3 |
| Saint Etienne | 3 |
| Creteil | 3 |
| Sedan | 3 |
| Bordeaux | 2 |
| Monaco | 2 |
Ligue 2 top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Etienne | 17 | 92 |
|
| Reims | 14 | 66 |
|
| Rodez | 11 | 96 |
|
| Dunkerque | 10 | 77 |
|
| Guingamp | 9 | 89 |
|
| Dijon | 8 | 78 |
|
| Metz | 8 | 85 |
|
| Annecy | 8 | 65 |
|
| Nantes | 7 | 88 |
|
| Laval | 7 | 77 |
|
| Grenoble | 7 | 39 |
|
| RED Star FC 93 | 6 | 85 |
|
| Montpellier | 5 | 76 |
|
| PAU | 4 | 81 |
|
| Nancy | 4 | 74 |
|
| Sochaux | 3 | 51 |
|
| Clermont Foot | 3 | 42 |
|
| Boulogne | 2 | 71 |
|
Ligue 2 About
Ligue 2 is France’s second tier of professional men’s league football, positioned directly below Ligue 1 and above the Championnat National. It is the central promotion-and-relegation bridge in the French professional pyramid: a competition in which relegated top-flight clubs seek an immediate return, ambitious sides pursue elevation and developing players test themselves in a demanding national league.
A vital level of the French professional pyramid
Founded in 1933 as Division 2, the competition has long provided a national stage for clubs from across France. Its modern identity reflects more than its place in the table of divisions. Ligue 2 combines the pressure of promotion races with the financial and sporting consequences of relegation, making consistency over a full campaign especially valuable.
The division is administered by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), within the framework of the French Football Federation (FFF). Clubs are subject to professional and administrative requirements, including financial oversight. That scrutiny is an important part of the competition’s role: sporting success must be supported by a structure capable of operating at professional level.
For supporters, the league offers a different rhythm from the top flight. Established clubs with substantial histories can meet teams building towards a first sustained period in the professional game. The result is a division where squad depth, recruitment, resilience and the ability to manage expectation can be as decisive as individual quality.
How the league season is played
Ligue 2 is a double round-robin league. In its 18-club configuration, each team plays every other club once at home and once away, creating a 34-match regular season. League positions are determined by points: three for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.
Goal difference is the principal separator when clubs finish level on points, followed by goals scored. Further ranking criteria are set out in the competition regulations, which can also govern exceptional situations involving teams that remain inseparable after the main criteria have been applied.
The campaign normally follows the European autumn-to-spring calendar, beginning in late summer and ending in spring. The two meetings between opponents are often described in France as the phase aller and phase retour: the first and return legs of the league programme. Fixtures have traditionally included prominent Friday-night rounds, while kick-off patterns can change with broadcasting and scheduling requirements.
A league format rewards accumulation rather than one-off results. A strong run can transform a club’s promotion prospects, but difficult away trips and tightly contested matches mean that dropped points across the season can carry considerable weight.
Promotion, relegation and access
The principal sporting reward is promotion to Ligue 1. Clubs enter Ligue 2 through relegation from the top division or promotion from the Championnat National, while teams at the lower end of the table can drop into the third tier. The exact number of places and any associated play-offs are determined by the regulations for the relevant season.
In the established modern promotion structure, the leading league positions provide the direct route to Ligue 1. Teams immediately below them may compete in promotion play-offs: lower-ranked qualifiers first meet in a single-match knockout, with the higher-placed sides entering later. The winner can then face the team in the Ligue 1 relegation position in a two-legged promotion/relegation barrage for a place in the next top-flight season.
These matches give the competition a hybrid finish. The championship itself is decided by the league table, not a knockout final, but the route to the final promotion place can demand a very different kind of performance: handling elimination football, responding to a specific opponent and, in a two-leg tie, managing the aggregate score.
Extra time and penalties are therefore relevant to knockout occasions rather than the regular league programme. The detailed operation of play-offs, barrages and relegation places may be adjusted as the wider French professional pyramid evolves.
Why success in Ligue 2 matters
Promotion changes a club’s sporting and economic outlook. Reaching Ligue 1 brings access to the country’s elite domestic competition, greater visibility and the challenge of competing against the strongest professional sides in France. For a relegated club, an immediate return can be a central objective; for an emerging club, promotion may represent the culmination of years of development.
Relegation has equally serious consequences. A move to the Championnat National can alter budgets, squad planning and professional status, so the fight to remain in Ligue 2 is often as intense as the pursuit of the top places. This combination of upward opportunity and downward risk gives the division much of its competitive character.
Ligue 2 also remains an important proving ground. Young players can gain regular senior football, experienced professionals can provide leadership in demanding campaigns, and coaches must adapt to a competition in which organisation and consistency are repeatedly tested. Its purpose is not simply to supply clubs to Ligue 1, but to sustain a competitive professional environment across the French game.
A competition shaped by renewal
Across its history, the division has evolved in name, commercial presentation and format while retaining its essential function as the second level of French professional football. Sponsorship titles may change, but Ligue 2 remains the recognised sporting identity of the competition.
That continuity matters. Every season brings a new mix of recently relegated teams, promoted challengers and established second-tier clubs, yet the core task is constant: finish high enough to rise, avoid the bottom places and prove the strength required to prosper in one of Europe’s most competitive national football systems.