There are quite a few football competitions that are rather popular in the world.
2 of the more common ones you may have heard of include Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
So what are these competitions and how do they differ?
Here’s what you need to know:
The difference between Ligue 1 and Champions League
Ligue 1 includes the top 20 teams in French football, while the Champions League involves the top 32 clubs from the various European leagues. The format of Ligue 1 is a double round-robin competition, while the Champions League has a group stage and a knockout round, before ending in the Champions League final.
Here is an in-depth comparison between these 2 competitions:
Number of teams involved
Meanwhile, the Champions League contains the top 32 teams in European football.
However, this only measures the number of teams in the main competition. There will be quite a few teams that were involved in the qualifying rounds which do not make the cut.
Origin of teams
Ligue 1 only contains teams that are from France.
Meanwhile, the Champions League consists of the top teams that come from the different UEFA countries. Currently, there are 55 member countries that are in UEFA.
To qualify for the UEFA Champions League, your team has to originate from a member country of UEFA. Otherwise, you will have to play in the continental competition where your country is from.
This gives a wide variety of teams that feature in the Champions League. One such team is FC Sheriff Tiraspol, which originates from Moldova.
This club gained prominence in the world after beating Real Madrid at home!
Frequency and duration of competition
Both competitions occur on a yearly basis, as part of the club football calendar.
The Champions League usually runs the span of around 11 months, usually between June to May. This is because each group stage matchday is played every alternate week.
Due to the congested fixture schedule for European clubs, each matchday is usually a few weeks apart.
The Champions League final is usually played after the end of all the European leagues.
In this way, the Champions League is like a curtain closer for the entire year’s football season.
Meanwhile, Ligue 1 starts in August and ends in May. It is slightly shorter compared to the Champions League.
For the Champions League, the matches are played during the midweek, and the matches are not usually played consecutively. This could be why the duration of the Champions League takes one extra month compared to Ligue 1.
Format of competition
Ligue 1 follows a double round-robin league format. Each team will play against the other 19 clubs in the league.
For the Champions League, it contains a group stage, and then a knockout round.
The top 2 teams from each group will progress onto the knockout round of the Champions League.
If you’re wondering what happens if the top teams have the same points in the group stages, you can check out this article to find out more.
The knockout round is similar to most cup competitions, such as the FA Cup and the Copa del Rey.
The Champions League contains 2 legs for each knockout round. This means that the teams will play both at home and away.
This is because the knockout rounds of the Champions League are played at the home stadium of both clubs. This ensures that there is no ‘unfair’ advantage of only one team playing in their home ground.
In this way, there is an equal chance for both teams to perform well in front of their fans!
Number of matches
For the Champions League, the number of matches you play depends on how far you go into the competition.
Here are the number of matches you’ll play in total if you reach the final from the Group Stages:
| Round | Number of Matches |
|---|---|
| Group Stages | 6 |
| Round of 16 | 2 |
| Quarter Finals | 2 |
| Semi Finals | 2 |
| Final | 1 |
As such, the maximum number of matches that you can play is 13. If your team gets knocked out in the earlier stages, they will play fewer matches.
Squad size
The squad rules are not really clear for the squads in Ligue 1. However, in Football Manager, it was stated that a squad can register a maximum of 4 non-EU players.
For the Champions League, the squad size rules are more explicit.
The first list (List A) has a maximum of 25 players, where 8 of them have to be homegrown players. Meanwhile, the second list (List B) consists of players who are born on or after 1 Jan 1995 as well as other requirements.
There can be an unlimited number of players who are registered on List B.
Qualification for competition
For Ligue 1, the bottom 2 teams will be relegated, and the top 2 teams from Ligue 2 will be promoted.
The 17th placed team in Ligue 1 (17th placed) will compete with the 3rd-placed team in Ligue 2 in a relegation playoff match.
This is a 2-legged match where the first match is played at the home of the Ligue 1 side, while the second leg is played at the home of the Ligue 2 side.
For the Champions League, there are teams that automatically qualify for the tournament. This can be based either on their league position, or their performance in the UEFA competitions.
If you win either the Champions League or the Europa League, your team will automatically qualify for the tournament.
Loan player rules
This actually has happened quite a few times, particularly in the Champions League.
One of the more notable ones was when Philippe Coutinho played for Bayern Munich, against his parent club (Barcelona).
He came off the bench to score 2 goals and produce 1 assist against Barcelona!
The rules are quite different for other competitions, such as the Premier League, where loan players are not allowed to play against their parent club.
You can read more about the loan players rules in the different leagues with my guide.
Rewards for winning competition
Here are the rewards you’ll receive when you win either competition:
| Ligue 1 | Champions League | |
|---|---|---|
| Prize Money | Higher | Lower |
| Qualification for next season’s Champions League | Yes | Yes |
| Qualification for Super Cup | Trophée des Champions | UEFA Super Cup |
When comparing between the 2020/21 prize money that the winners received in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, the Ligue 1 winners received much more (€60 million vs €19 million).
Furthermore, the winners of both Ligue 1 and the Champions League will be guaranteed automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League group stages.
In terms of the Super Cup competitions that they play, the champions of Ligue 1 will play against the Coupe de la Ligue winners in the Trophée des Champions.
Meanwhile, the Champions League winners will play against the Europa League winners in the UEFA Super Cup.
Verdict
Here is a summary of the comparison between these 2 competitions:
| Ligue 1 | Champions League | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of teams | 20 | 32 |
| Origin of teams | France | Europe |
| Frequency | Annually | Annually |
| Duration | 10 months | 11 months |
| Format | Double round-robin | Group stage + knockout rounds |
| Number of matches | 38 | Maximum of 13 |
| Squad size | Maximum 4 non-EU players | 25 (17 homegrown) |
| Qualification | Top 2 from Ligue 2 3rd in Ligue 2 has a playoff with 18th in Ligue 1 | League position and Champions League / Europa League winners |
| Loan player rules | Can play against parent club | Can play against parent club |
| Prize Money | Higher | Lower |
| Qualification for next season’s Champions League | Yes | Yes |
| Qualification for Super Cup | Trophée des Champions | UEFA Super Cup |
Conclusion
Ligue 1 and the Champions League are 2 of the top footballing competitions in the European football season.
While Ligue 1 is one of the more popular leagues, the Champions League may be considered as a much tougher competition due to the quality of all the teams!
Subscribe to Telegram and Twitter to get the latest updates!
Are you passionate about football and want to earn some side income?
