The 2024/25 Ligue 1 campaign is down to the final matchday. Although Paris Saint-Germain clinched their fourth league title in a row, there are still several key places in the table that are up for grabs.
Ahead of Saturday’s final round of play, the final three guaranteed European spots, as well as an automatic relegation place (and the relegation playoff spot) are all to be decided. As a result, it is set to be a dramatic day of football in France.
Here is a look at who is involved in what, and all of the permutations.
Ligue 1 Final Day Permutations
European Spots: Nice (57 points), Lille (57), Strasbourg (57), Lyon (54)
Rarely have we seen a European race come down to the wire like this one has. Nice, Lille, Strasbourg, and Lyon are all still battling it out for the place in Champions League qualifying, as well as the guaranteed Europa League and Conference League places. All four of these teams will play in Europe next term should PSG defeat Reims in the Coupe de France final the following weekend.
Nice currently has the edge over Lille and Strasbourg for fourth place on goal difference. However, the scenario remain largely the same for everyone. A point will secure a top six finish and European football (likely Europa League minimum). Lose, and that opens the door for Lyon to finish ahead of them. It is pretty likely that the last UCL spot will go down to goal difference, especially if two or all three of them win.
For Lyon to qualify for Europe on Saturday, they need a win at home to midtable Angers, along with at least one of the three others to lose. Should all three be defeated, then OL would claim the Champions League qualifying place. Fail to pick up all three points, and it will almost surely mean Conference League football for the club next campaign.
Nice hosts Brest in their final match, while Lille takes on struggling Reims. As for high-flying Strasbourg, they will welcome relegation threatened Le Havre.
Relegation Spots: Reims (33), Nantes (33), Le Havre (31), Saint-Étienne (30)
The other four clubs with something to play for include Reims, Nantes, Le Havre, and Saint-Étienne. One of them will go down, while another will face Dunkerque or Metz for the final spot in Ligue 1 next term.
Reims and Nantes have it the simplest here. They cannot get relegated on the day due to their vastly superior goal difference over ASSE. Both sides just need a point to maintain their Ligue 1 status for the 2025/26 season. Le Havre cannot realistically catch either on goal difference, so a point will be enough. Nantes will play hosts to the already relegated Montpellier.
The only way either team ends up involved in the playoffs is with a loss coupled with a Le Havre win. If both of them lose in this case, Nantes would almost certainly finish 16th given their weaker goal difference.
Speaking of Le Havre, they know that a win will see them avoid direct relegation. A point will be enough if Saint-Étienne does not beat Toulouse. In fact, Les Verts in essence have to be victorious in Saturday’s match, otherwise they face an immediate return to Ligue 2. Their inferior goal difference is not enough to catch Le Havre if the sides were to finish level on points.
The playoff between Metz and Dunkerque will occur just before the Ligue 1 matches. They finished third and fourth in Ligue 2 this campaign, respectively. Dunkerque already prevailed in one playoff match, having beaten Guingamp 1-0 at home on Wednesday. The winning team will play a two-legged playoff versus the 16th place side from Ligue 1 for the final spot in the league next term.