The 2025–26 Ligue 2, commonly known as Ligue 2 BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the 87th season of Ligue 2. The season began on 9 August 2025 and concluded on 8 May 2026.[1]
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 August 2025 – 8 May 2026 |
| Champions | Troyes |
| Promoted | Troyes Le Mans |
| Relegated | Amiens Bastia |
| Matches | 287 |
| Goals | 715 (2.49 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Tawfik Bentayeb (18 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Saint-Étienne 6–0 Pau (28 October 2025) |
| Biggest away win | Guingamp 0–4 Red Star (23 August 2025) Nancy 1–5 Annecy (17 April 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Boulogne 2–6 Reims (28 October 2025) Dunkerque 6–2 Amiens (27 September 2025) |
| Longest winning run | Saint-Étienne (5 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Rodez (18 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Laval (12 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Boulogne Clermont (5 matches) |
| Highest attendance | 36,588 |
| Lowest attendance | 434 |
| Average attendance | 2,154,388 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 25 April 2026. | |
Overview
editPromoted and relegation teams (pre-season)
editFC Lorient and Paris FC were promoted to Ligue 1 after one and seven years in Ligue 2, respectively.[2][3]
Metz was promoted to Ligue 1 after defeating Reims in the Ligue 1 promotion/relegation play-offs after one year in the second tier. Reims will be relegated to a lower division after a 7-year tenure in the top flight.[4]
Montpellier and Saint-Étienne will return to Ligue 2 after sixteen years and one year being in Ligue 1, respectively.[5][6]
Nancy, Le Mans and Boulogne will return to Ligue 2 from the Championnat National after three and five and thirteen years absence, respectively, with Boulogne's promotion being back-to-back from the Championnat National 2 two seasons ago.
Caen were relegated to Championnat National after 6 years in the second tier and will play in the 3rd tier for the first time since 1984 and after a 41 year absence.[7]
Administratively relegated team
editMartigues were excluded to Régional 1, the 6th tier of French football, and will play in regional football for the first time in 55 years.[8]
AC Ajaccio were relegated due to financial problems. They will return to the Championnat National after 27 years.[9] On 16 July 2025, the club relegation administratively is confirmed.
Lyon had been administratively relegated to the league from highest tier on 23 June 2025, meaning Reims were due to be kept in the Ligue 1. The decision was later overturned on appeal from Lyon on 9 July, meaning both clubs competitively incurred places remain unchanged.[10]
Teams
editChanges
editStadiums and locations
edit| ↓ | Relegated from the Ligue 1 |
| ↑ | Promoted from the National |
Personnel and kits
editNote: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and coaches may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Main kit sponsor | Other kit sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amiens | Intersport | List
| |||
| Annecy | MSC Cruises | List
| |||
| Bastia | Corsica Ferries | List
| |||
| Boulogne | List
| ||||
| Clermont | List
| ||||
| Dunkerque | Intersport | List
| |||
| Grenoble | List
|
List
| |||
| Guingamp | Breizh Cola | List
| |||
| Laval | Lactel | List
| |||
| Le Mans | Le Mans | List
| |||
| Montpellier | Swile | List
| |||
| Nancy | Hyundai | List
| |||
| Pau | Pau | List
| |||
| Red Star | TRUST'iT | List
| |||
| Reims | Yasuda | List
| |||
| Rodez | E.Leclerc | List
| |||
| Saint-Étienne | Loire | List
| |||
| Troyes | Troyes | List
|
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reims | Resigned | 18 June 2025[17] | Pre-season | 18 June 2025[18] | ||
| Clermont | End of tenure af caretaker | 23 June 2025 | 23 June 2025[19] | |||
| Dunkerque | End of contract | 30 June 2025 | 1 July 2025[20] | |||
| Bastia | Sacked | 30 October 2025[21] | 18th | 15 November 2025[22] | ||
| Pau | Mutual consent | 24 January 2026[23] | 10th | 24 January 2026[24] | ||
| Saint-Étienne | Sacked | 31 January 2026[25] | 5th | 2 February 2026[26] | ||
| Amiens | 5 March 2026[27] | 18th | 20 March 2026[28] | |||
| Grenoble | 23 March 2026 | 13th | 23 March 2026[29] |
Standings
editLeague table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troyes (C, P) | 34 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 60 | 33 | +27 | 67 | Promotion to Ligue 1 |
| 2 | Le Mans (P) | 34 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 50 | 31 | +19 | 62 | |
| 3 | Saint-Étienne | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 60 | Qualification for promotion play-off semi-final |
| 4 | Red Star | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 58 | Qualification for promotion play-off quarter-final |
| 5 | Rodez | 34 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 45 | 39 | +6 | 58 | |
| 6 | Reims | 34 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 53 | 35 | +18 | 56 | |
| 7 | Annecy | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 49 | 39 | +10 | 52 | |
| 8 | Montpellier | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 51 | |
| 9 | Pau | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 45 | |
| 10 | Dunkerque | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 43 | |
| 11 | Guingamp | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 40 | |
| 12 | Grenoble | 34 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 39 | |
| 13 | Clermont | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 37 | |
| 14 | Nancy | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 52 | −17 | 37 | |
| 15 | Boulogne | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 36 | |
| 16 | Laval (O) | 34 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 32 | Qualification for relegation play-off |
| 17 | Bastia (R) | 34 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 23 | 39 | −16 | 28 | Relegation to Ligue 3 |
| 18 | Amiens (R) | 34 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 37 | 65 | −28 | 24 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Fair play points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Position by round
edit| Promotion to the Ligue 1 | |
| Qualification for the Promotion play-off semi-final | |
| Qualification for the Promotion play-off quarter-final | |
| Qualification for the Relegation play-off | |
| Relegation to the Ligue 3 |
Results
editFixture and results
edit- ↑ Match abandoned in second half stoppage time with the score at 0–2 after Bastia supporters threw smoke bombs onto the pitch.[30] A few days later, the LFP decided to uphold the score.[31]
- ↑ Match abandoned at the 57th minute with the score at 0–0 after a flare thrown by a Bastia fan hit a Red Star player. Match was later forfeited to Red Star.[32] Goals for and against were not added to the league table.
Results by round
editNotes:
Rescheduled matches
edit| Round | Home team | Away team | Original Date | New Date | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulogne | Bastia | 9 August 2025 | 16 September 2025 | Match was rescheduled due to uncertainty regarding AC Ajaccio's professional licence, which was stripped before the start of the season and automatically promoted Boulogne.[33] |
| 11 | Bastia | Laval | 24 October 2025 | 25 November 2025 | Match was postponed after Stade Lavallois was not able to travel to Corsica due to heavy winds.[34] |
Promotion & relegation play-off
editPromotion play-offs
editA promotion play-off competition was held at the end of the season, involving the 3rd, 4th and 5th-placed teams in 2025–26 Ligue 2, and the 16th-placed team in Ligue 1.
Bracket
edit| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||||||||||||
| 3B | Saint-Étienne (p) | 0 (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 5B | Rodez | 0 (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 4B | Red Star | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 5B | Rodez | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 3B | Saint-Étienne | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 16A | Nice | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Matches
editQuarter-final
| 12 May 2026 | Red Star | 2−3 | Rodez | Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine |
| 20:30 UTC+1 | Stadium: Stade Bauer |
Semi-final
| 15 May 2026 | Saint-Étienne | 0−0 (7−6 p) | Rodez | Saint-Étienne |
| 20:30 UTC+1 | Stadium: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | |||
| Penalties | ||||
Final
| 26 May 2026 | Saint-Étienne | 0–0 | Nice | Saint-Étienne |
| 20:45 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard Attendance: 39,772 Referee: Benoît Bastien |
| 29 May 2026 | Nice | 4–1 (4–1 agg.) | Saint-Étienne | Nice |
| 20:45 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Allianz Riviera Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)[35] Referee: Ruddy Buquet |
Nice won 4–1 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Relegation play-offs
editThe 16th-placed teams of the Ligue 2 faces the 3rd-placed team of the National.
Summary
editMatches
editFirst leg
| 19 May 2026 | Rouen | 1−1 | Laval | Le Petit-Quevilly |
| 20:30 UTC+1 | Fuss |
Mandouki |
Stadium: Stade Robert Diochon |
Second leg
| 24 May 2026 | Laval | 1−0 | Rouen | Laval |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Sellouki |
Rocha |
Stadium: Stade Francis Le Basser |
Laval won 2–1 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.
Season statistics
editTop goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[36] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troyes | 18 | |
| 2 | Guingamp | 15 | |
| Dunkerque | |||
| 4 | Rodez | 14 | |
| Saint-Étienne | |||
| Reims | |||
| 7 | Red Star | 13 | |
| 8 | Rodez | 12 | |
| Montpellier | |||
| 10 | Saint-Étienne | 11 |
Hat-tricks
editClean sheets
edit| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reims | 15 | |
| 2 | Le Mans | 13 | |
| Red Star | |||
| 4 | Montpellier | 12 | |
| 5 | Saint-Étienne | 10 | |
| 6 | Annecy | 9 | |
| 7 | Bastia | 8 | |
| Laval | |||
| 9 | Nancy | 7 | |
| Rodez | |||
| Grenoble | |||
| Troyes |
Attendances
editOverall
edit| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amiens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 2 | Annecy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 3 | Bastia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 4 | Boulogne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a‡ |
| 5 | Clermont | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 6 | Dunkerque | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 7 | Grenoble | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 8 | Guingamp | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 9 | Laval | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 10 | Le Mans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a‡ |
| 11 | Montpellier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a† |
| 12 | Nancy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a‡ |
| 13 | Pau | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 14 | Red Star | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 15 | Reims | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a† |
| 16 | Rodez | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| 17 | Saint-Étienne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a† |
| 18 | Troyes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| League total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
Home match played
editSee also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ↑ "PUBLICATION DU CALENDRIER GÉNÉRAL DE LA LIGUE 2 BKT POUR LA SAISON 2025/2026" (in French). lfp.fr. 4 March 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ "Lorient return to Ligue 1 after one season". Reuters. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "A second Paris football club has reached France's first division". Le Monde. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "FC Metz Earns Promotion to Ligue 1 After Impressive Extra Time Win". Ligue 1. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "The Leicester of Ligue 1: Remembering Montpellier's famous title triumph on the day of their relegation". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "Saint-Étienne relegated to Ligue 2, Reims to face Metz in the playoffs either side of the Coupe de France final". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "Caen, owned by Kylian Mbappé, officially relegated to National 1". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "FC Martigues excluded from national competitions by the DNCG". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "Ajaccio provisionally demoted to National as City Group given potential lifeline". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ↑ "Lyon win Ligue 1 relegation appeal: What this means for Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest". The Athletic. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ↑ "Nancy promu en Ligue 2, Châteauroux et Paris 13 frustrés, Boulogne freiné à domicile" (in French). lequipe.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ "Montpellier est officiellement relégué en Ligue 2 après le nul du Havre face à Monaco" (in French). lequipe.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ "Lorient promu en Ligue 1 après sa nette victoire face à Caen, le Paris FC s'en rapproche après la défaite de Metz à Pau" (in French). lequipe.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ "Le Paris FC promu en Ligue 1, un deuxième club parisien dans l'élite" (in French). lequipe.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ Sirieys, Charlotte. "Metz arrache la montée en Ligue 1 après sa victoire en prolongation contre Reims, relégué en Ligue 2" (in French). L'Équipe. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
- ↑ "Détenu par Kylian Mbappé, Caen officiellement relégué en National, Clermont s'enfonce encore" (in French). lequipe.fr. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ↑ "Ligue 2: Reims officialise l'arrivée du Belge Karel Geraerts au poste d'entraîneur". Le Figaro. 18 June 2025.
- ↑ "Ligue 2: Reims officialise l'arrivée du Belge Karel Geraerts au poste d'entraîneur". Le Figaro. 18 June 2025.
- ↑ "Sébastien Mazeyrat et Grégory Proment confirmés à la tête du Clermont Foot 63". Clermont Foot 63. 23 June 2025.
- ↑ "Ex-Barcelona B Coach Takes Dunkirk Helm". Footboom (in Spanish). 30 July 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Ligue 2 : Bastia se sépare de son entraîneur Benoît Tavenot, le directeur technique Frédéric Antonetti démissionne". Le Figaro. 30 October 2025.
- ↑ "Réginald Ray nommé entraîneur du Sporting". SC Bastia. 15 November 2025.
- ↑ "Pau FC se sépare de Nicolas Usaï : un électrochoc en pleine saison de Ligue 2". sport.fr. 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Un entraîneur de Ligue 2 prend la porte". sofoot.com. 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Foot : Saint-Étienne va perdre son entraîneur, Horneland sur le départ". Le Figaro. 28 January 2026.
- ↑ "Philippe Montanier, nouvel entraîneur de l'AS Saint-Étienne". L’Équipe. 2 February 2026.
- ↑ "Omar Daf n'est plus l'entraîneur d'Amiens". L’Équipe. 5 March 2026.
- ↑ "Alain Pochat officiellement entraîneur de l'Amiens SC". Amiens SC. 20 March 2026.
- ↑ "Franck Rizzetto limogé et remplacé par Frédéric Gueguen sur le nac du Grenoble Foot". L’Équipe. 23 March 2026.
- ↑ "Bastia crowd trouble delays Le Mans Ligue 1 promotion party". France 24. 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Le Mans FC monte officiellement en Ligue 1" (in French). Ouest-France. 13 May 2026.
- ↑ "Bastia forfeit Ligue 2 match against Red Star after 5 December flare incident". OneFootball. 23 December 2025.
- ↑ "Official | Boulogne promoted to Ligue 2 with Ajaccio relegated". Yahoo! Sports. 7 August 2025.
- ↑ Faurie, Dominique (25 October 2025). "Stade lavallois. Bastia - Laval reporté : l'avion ne décolle pas, les Corses ne décolèrent pas" (in French). Ouest-France.
- ↑ "OGC Nice supporters banned from… Nice by authorities before Saint-Étienne play-off". Get French Football News. Yahoo Sports. 28 May 2026. Retrieved 29 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Ligue 2 BKT Top Scorers". Ligue 1. Retrieved 31 October 2025.