Ligue 1: The Best Betting Strategy

It is already clear to most punters that soccer is the most popular sport in Europe, both in terms of viewership figures and betting opportunities. Europe is home to arguably the strongest soccer leagues in the world, and one of those is the French Ligue 1. With the emergence and development of teams such as PSG, Monaco, Nice, and others, the popularity and success of the league in general have grown year after year.

So, it is only natural that sports betting sites will look to enhance the Ligue 1 betting offer. Nowadays, you can wager on anything in any game in Ligue 1, but where exactly do you start?

This guide will provide you with valuable insight into Ligue 1 betting, including history, odds, betting markets, strategies, and much more. Let’s take a closer look.

What is Ligue 1?

Ligue 1 is a French professional men’s soccer league that is also known as Ligue 1 UberEats, due to sponsorship agreements. It is the first league in the French football system, and it is organized and administered by the Ligue de Football Professionnel.

Up until 2023, there were 20 teams competing in France’s first division, but that number changed to 18. There is a relegation system, as is the case with other soccer leagues. The first 2 teams in the table get direct promotion to next season’s Champions League, while the third goes to the qualifying round.

Seasons in Ligue 1 run from August to May, with clubs playing two matches against each other—one at home and one away.

The league is always put on hold the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks, so it returns the second week of January. Ligue 1 ranks just behind the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.

Lastly, Ligue 1 has a long history, having been inaugurated on September 11, 1932. The first name was National, but it switched to Division 1 just a year later. That was the name until 2002, when it got its current name.

Soccer Rules and Gameplay

Before we dive into the specifics of Ligue 1 betting, we need to start with the basics. We at Betting.io are aware that some of our readers are just starting their soccer betting journey.

Therefore, we thought it might be helpful if we included a section here that covers the main soccer rules. These rules are universal in the soccer world, so they also apply to Ligue 1.

A quick overview of the soccer rules would be as follows:

  • Two teams play the game, with each team having 11 players, one of which is a goalkeeper;
  • A soccer game lasts 90 minutes in total, with two 45-minute halves;
  • There is a 15-minute break between the first and second halves;
  • Before the match starts, a referee throws a coin alongside the two captains. Whoever wins the coin toss decides whether their team has the first kick-off or the side of the pitch for the first half;
  • Players have to use their feet, head, or chest to play the ball. As a matter of fact, any touch of the ball is allowed, as long as it is not with a hand.
  • The exception here is the goalkeeper, who can use their hands, but only within their designated penalty box;
  • The aim is for the teams to score a goal, and whoever has the most, wins the game;
  • Teams get 3 points for winning a game, they share a point each for a draw, and the losing team gets 0 points;
  • One central referee, two linesmen, and a VAR (Video Assistant Referee) team control the game. They award free kicks, penalties, and control the game in general.
  • If a player gets two yellow cards, he is dismissed;
  • Players can also get a straight red card for serious offenses.

These rules can go on and on, as there are several aspects that make up a game of soccer. However, these are the basic ones, so it is a good starting point for all the new soccer fans out there.

The Popularity of French Football

Sports in France are as much a part of French culture as croissants and red wine. There is high interest in all sports, including soccer. French people seem very proud of their athletes, and besides soccer, some of the most popular sports are tennis, cycling, handball, basketball, and rugby.

However, with teams like PSG having the financial power to attract plenty of world soccer stars to the French league, it is inevitable that the sport will be the most popular one in the country.

Moreover, France is one of the three nations in the world that have won back-to-back major tournaments—the World Cup and the Euro. Some of the most famous French soccer players include:

  • Zinedine Zidane
  • Thierry Henry
  • Eric Cantona
  • Didier Deschamps
  • Michel Platini

So, soccer is surely the number one sport in the country, with Ligue 1 alone generating more than 3 billion euros of revenue each season, which is a serious number.

Ligue 1 Odds

Moving on, we can now focus a bit more on the specifics of Ligue 1 betting. First off, you need to understand the importance of the odds for the French national football championship.

Odds will give you the probability of a certain event occurring for any game in the French Ligue 1. Bookies will offer you various betting options for each game in Ligue 1 (which we will cover a bit more in detail later in the article).

So, before you dive into betting on Ligue 1, there are a couple of things we would like to recommend:

  • Make sure to do your research and compare odds at various betting sites;
  • Use betting calculators to help you calculate odds and potential winnings.

Once you are done with all these aspects, you can start your betting journey for Ligue 1, which is the next part of this article.

Popular Ligue 1 Betting Types

So, now that you know the basics of Ligue 1, you might be thinking that it is about time you start placing real money wagers. Well, there are a couple of more aspects that we have to cover first. Here, we will focus on the different bet types for the French championship.

Full-Time Result

We start with the simplest bet type of them all – full-time results. Here, you just have to predict whether the result at the end of the game will be:

  • Home win
  • Draw
  • Away win

Accumulator

Moving on, we have another quite common bet type among punters who seek to wager on the Ligue 1. With an accumulator bet, you will need to predict the outcomes of several Ligue 1 matches. Of course, the odds will rise significantly the more matches you insert.

Over/Under

Over/under bets are very commonly used among soccer bettors, not just for the French championship. There are various options for over/under bets, such as the number of yellow cards, fouls, etc., but the most common one is the number of goals.

Correct Score

If you feel a bit more adventurous, you can always try your luck with a correct score bet for Ligue 1. As the name itself suggests, you will need to predict what the exact score will be for the match you have chosen.

Half Time-Full Time

Some know this bet as a double result bet, and it stipulates that you need to predict the result at half-time and full-time in the same bet.

First Goalscorer

We can now move a bit more into special types of bets for Ligue 1. The first goalscorer bet sees you try to predict which one of the players on the field will score the first goal. You can also wager on “no goalscorer”, and with it, the game will have to end 0-0.

Draw No Bet

A draw-no-bet type of wager is commonly used by newbies in the sports betting world. This is a similar type of bet to a full-time result, but there is no option for a draw.

So, you need to wager on either team to win, and if it is a draw, you get your stake back. As you can imagine, the odds for this type of bet are quite low.

Asian Handicap

Up next, we have another very popular soccer bet in general. With it, a team in Ligue 1 will get a goal handicap by the bookie, and you need to wager on the result after that handicap.

So, a simple 1-0 will not be enough, depending on the handicap. Therefore, there are always bigger odds to look forward to with an Asian handicap bet.

Scorecast

A scorecast bet allows you to combine the first scorer of the Ligue 1 match with the correct score of the game itself. It is one of the hardest outcomes to predict, so the odds will be much greater.

Futures Bets

Reliable Ligue 1 bookies will also offer various futures bets as part of their rich soccer offer. With a futures bet, you can wager on different outcomes, whether they are team or player-specific. Examples here include:

  • Who will win the Ligue 1
  • Who will be the top goalscorer
  • Who will get relegated
  • Who wins the Golden Glove

Bet Builders

Bet builders are quite new in the online betting world, but they seem to have caught the market by storm. With a bet builder, you will need to predict several outcomes for the same match. To secure a win, you need to get them all right. An example here would be:

  • PSG to win against Monaco
  • Kylian Mbappe to score the first goal
  • More than 2.5 yellow cards
  • More than 5 corners

Live Betting

Lastly, we believe that live bets deserve a special mention when speaking of Ligue 1. All world-class bookies will have a rich live betting offer that will allow you to place various wagers.

You can wager on player performances or team stats as the game occurs. Of course, the odds here fluctuate, so you need to pay close attention to how the game develops.

The Most Successful Ligue 1 Teams

To better understand how Ligue 1 functions, you need to know how teams historically coped in France’s top-tier football division. Doing good research is key for your bets in Ligue 1, but we will get a bit more into detail about that later on.

With that in mind, PSG, Saint-Etienne, Marseille, Nantes, and Monaco are all at the top of the French football championship stats. PSG are one team that seems to be on the rise, as they have dominated the league for more than a decade. Therefore, it is to be expected that the Paris-based club will continue to be the number one team as the years go by and more superstars join them. As for the players, the leading goalscorer in the history of Ligue 1 is Delio Onnis who is Argentinian and played in France from 1971 to 1986. The teams that he represented are:

  • Monaco
  • Reims
  • Tours
  • Toulon

He has scored 299 goals across 449 appearances. Some other notable names on the goalscorers list include:

  • Bernard Lacombe
  • Herve Revelli
  • Roger Courtois
  • Thadee Cisowski
  • Kylian Mbappe

Lastly, the player with the most appearances in Ligue 1 is Mickael Landreau, who played in the league between 1996 and 2014, making 618 appearances in that time.

Ligue 1 Tips & Strategies

We can now get to arguably the most exciting part of each betting guide – tips and strategies you can use for your bets. Well, firstly, we are sorry to disappoint you, but there are no winning strategies that will guarantee you profits when you wager on Ligue 1 games.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use certain tips to your advantage that will shift the odds in your favor. With all that in mind, let’s check out some of the main betting tips if you are completely new to the sports betting world.

Follow Our Guides

Well, we wouldn’t be the number one place for tons of new bettors if we didn’t provide an unbiased, professional, and thorough analysis of each soccer aspect. So, you will not make a mistake by following all our sports betting guides that will walk you through the process of enhancing your odds for a win.

Start Simple and Small

By this, we mean that you should start with smaller bets and work your way up if your budget allows. Never get greedy by believing that beginner’s luck will undoubtedly follow you. Another important piece of advice here is that you have to start with simple bets.

In the beginning, try out full-time results, over/under bets, and so on. Once you gain enough experience and expertise in Ligue 1, you can start with live bets, bet builders, etc.

Know Your Markets

Similarly to the previously mentioned tip, by knowing your markets, you will make much more informed decisions that will increase your odds of winning.

Do Your Research

By doing your research, we think of mainly two things:

  • Compare sports betting sites in terms of their Ligue 1 offer and odds;
  • Do your research on teams and players.

The latter is very important if you are to make a successful bet on Ligue 1 games. By knowing how teams compete against each other, how their current form is, whether there are any injured players, and similar stats, you will know which direction the game will go.

Take Small Wins

Lastly, we have to mention that you need to be satisfied with all the small wins that you make, especially at the start of your betting journey. At the end of the day, a win is a win, so don’t get greedy and chase the big bucks. This is how you will lose money and end up in a worse place than when you started betting.

How To Bet On Ligue 1

Well, once you know all the betting strategies and markets, it is time for you to start your Ligue 1 betting journey. For that, you will just need to follow a few simple steps, as outlined below.

Find a Reliable Ligue 1 Bookie

The golden rule of online sports betting is that you have to gamble with reputable and licensed operators. So, search for bookies that have a valid license from operators such as MGA and UKGC. You can easily check this information by going to the bottom of the operator’s website, where the license information is stored.

Register and Make Your Deposit

Once you know the bookie is reliable , you will be free to complete the sign-up process. This does not take more than a couple of minutes, after which you will need to make your first deposit. Keep in mind that Ligue 1 bookies all set different minimum deposit amounts.

Choose Your Market and Game

You can now scroll to the soccer offer of the bookie, find Ligue 1 and choose what you want to bet on. Most match days are on weekends, but there are rare occasions when there are games in the middle of the week. Once again, it is wise to stick with the markets and games you are most familiar with.

Start Betting

Finally, you can choose the amount you wish to wager and confirm your bet. Hopefully, you can secure nice wins whenever you bet on Ligue 1, and you can make instant withdrawals. To withdraw your money, just head to the cashier section of the operator, choose the amount to withdraw, and wait for the funds to arrive in your account!

Most Common Ligue 1 Betting Mistakes

In this article, we have mentioned some of the main betting strategies for Ligue 1, but what about things you need to avoid? Some of the most common mistakes newbies make when betting on Ligue 1 games are:

  • Not choosing a reliable and licensed bookie
  • Betting on emotions rather than hard facts and stats
  • Betting on their favorite team
  • Not managing their bankroll
  • Always choosing favorites to win
  • Chasing losses

Unfortunately, this is a list that can go on and on, but all of the above-mentioned aspects are some of the worst things you can do when wagering on Ligue 1.

Is it Safe to Bet on Ligue 1?

Well, at the end of this article, we can always go back to one of the things we have mentioned the most above – choosing a reputable and licensed Ligue 1 sports betting site.

A license from one of the top regulators in the iGaming industry will impose several rules that sports betting sites need to follow:

  • Offer a secure platform where players can bet on
  • Integrate safe and reliable payment methods
  • Use SSL encryption software to protect punters’ transactions

So, the short answer to the question above would be – yes, betting on Ligue 1 is 100% secure only if you choose to wager at reliable betting sites.

FAQ

What type of live bets can I place on Ligue 1?

Reputable online sports betting sites will offer you tons of options for your live bets. Some of the most common types of bets you can make live are on the team to score the next goal, the next goalscorer, the next yellow card, the next corner, as well as the winner of the game.

How can I find the best odds for Ligue 1 matches?

Well, the answer here is very simple – you need to do your research and find the best bookies with the best odds. Compare sites and see which ones have the best odds, and only then can you proceed with registering.

Is betting on Ligue 1 games legal?

This mainly depends on the jurisdiction you live in. Some countries in the world allow online sports betting, while others have a bit more of a restrictive approach. Therefore, you need to check with your local gambling regulator and see what your country’s stance is.