The dark horses in the 2025/2026 Ligue 1 title race

PSG continues to reign supreme in the French top flight at the moment, and it is so tough to see them being caught by another club soon.

Their superior financial power makes it easy for them to dominate the rest of the league, as Ligue 1 is not as rich as the Premier League.

As a state-sponsored team, it hasn’t been a tough ride for PSG as it has been for several other clubs in France.

However, their rivals deserve credit for constantly standing up and competing against them to ensure it is never too easy.

But the reality is that PSG remains dominant, having won 11 of the last 13 league titles on offer in France.

Currently, the Parisians have won the last four Ligue 1 crowns, having been champions of France consecutively since 2022.

Everyone who buys Ligue 1 tickets almost always expects that PSG will be crowned the champions of France at the end of the season.

This makes every other club the dark horse in the race, as three different clubs have finished second behind the Parisians since 2022.

It will be interesting to see which team takes that role this term, but PSG will have to stay in fine shape if they do not want another club to disrupt their winning run this season. Which clubs can beat them to the title?

Olympique Lyon

Despite nearly being relegated to Ligue 2 for financial problems last season, Lyon has been one of the top clubs in France this season.

They have traditionally been one of the top teams, but their new owner, John Textor, has not given the team the attention it needs.

Despite their struggles with meeting payroll at times and other financial responsibilities, Lyon has been in outstanding form.

Under Paulo Fonseca, they have become a strong team again, even though the gaffer is serving a nine-month ban until the end of November 2025.

It has been a long road back, and Lyon is also competing in the Europa League. As one of the teams we tipped to topple PSG after Kylian Mbappe left, they could make that happen this season.

Fans who buy Olympique Lyon tickets believe the team is now in a position where it can win the league and a major honour.

Olympique Marseille

Roberto de Zerbi has restored pride to the city of Marseille after he made them arguably the second-best team in France again.

They are back in the Champions League, and they have some of the best players in France in their squad.

OM is another top French team that has struggled for relevance for some time, but they finished in the second spot in the league last season and have continued to grow.

Their European commitment this season could affect them, as it has a curse which the likes of Aston Villa have already suffered from.  

However, De Zerbi is one of the finest young tacticians in the game who pride themselves on tactical innovation and problem-solving.

Olympique de Marseille tickets are being bought by some of the most passionate football fans in the world, and these supporters like the blend of youth and experience that their team has at the moment.

These supporters are sure this could be their year and will continue to support their club as much as they can because it could be their year to be French champions again.

Lille

Lille was the last team to win the Ligue 1 title other than PSG. In the 2020/2021 season, they stunned the big-spending Parisians as they won the league crown with 83 points.

The victory came with just a point more than the Parisians, but it was one of the sweetest victories in the game.

They showed that even without money, success can be secured, and PSG has since woken up from believing they are invincible.

This is why the Parisians now take every league season seriously, knowing that a small amount of complacency could prove to be deadly.

Lille has not been the same team since then, but they have remained among the top clubs in France and have some very good players.

As a selling club, they have already offloaded some of their most important stars of the last few seasons and signed new ones.

Bruno Genesio has a fine reputation in the game and has been in charge of the club since 2024; he could lead them to the crown this season.

Most supporters buy Lille tickets because they know the team plays good football, but they would appreciate them winning the league crown again this term.

AS Monaco

Monaco is another top French team that most people believe should have stopped PSG’s run of title wins for a long time.

In 2016/2017, with Kylian Mbappe on their team, Monaco showed that they had what it took to be champions and won their first crown in 17 years.

That summer, they lost Mbappe and several top players who had helped them storm to the title and make a telling impression in the Champions League.

Since then, Monaco has struggled to come close to winning another league crown, but they have now assembled some top players.

One of the reasons more AS Monaco tickets have been sold this season is because of the addition of the likes of Paul Pogba, Eric Dier and Ansu Fati to their squad.

Monaco is also a very good place to live, and these players pay no tax, so they will want to give back to the city by winning the Ligue 1 crown.

Strasbourg

There is still some controversy around Strasbourg’s collapse in its bid to qualify for the Champions League last season.

They look set to make the top four before capitulating, and some fans speculate that they deliberately lost a top-four spot because they do not want Chelsea to be demoted to the Europa League.

This may not be true, but it suggests that fans who buy Strasbourg tickets believe the team is surely on a fine trajectory at the moment.

Liam Rosenior is doing a fantastic job as their manager, and his team is certainly one of the sides that could be Ligue 1 champions.

They have benefited from Chelsea as they have often had some talents that they cannot afford playing for them on loan, and even an experienced player like Ben Chilwell helps them so much.

Lens

Lens remains traditionally one of the top clubs in France, and they have struggled to get back to the top in recent seasons.

They have been runners-up five times, the most recent being the 2022/2023 season, when their fans dreamt of an unlikely success.

They have one league crown to their name so far and have one of the exciting squads in French football now.

It will not be an easy season for them, but they remain one of the teams that could sneak in and become French champions next summer.

This is what anyone who buys RC Lens tickets for their games believes, and the players could make it happen.