This season, there was no suspense for the title on the last day of Ligue 2 after ESTAC’s triumph last week, which meant a return to the top flight. However, there was still one direct promotion spot to Ligue 1, contested between Le Mans and AS Saint-Étienne. Despite being in a crisis with three consecutive defeats, ASSE no longer controlled their fate for the final match and had to win against Amiens, already relegated to Ligue 3.
ASSE had a great performance with two goals from Duffus (2-0, 7th and 42nd minute), followed by goals from Davitashvili (3-0, 70th), Stassin (4-0, 81st), and Moueffek (5-0, 83rd). However, this was not enough to secure promotion, as Le Mans secured their spot with a wild season by defeating Bastia thanks to Colas (1-0, 16th) and Robin’s decisive goal (2-0, 90th+4). Promoted to Ligue 2 this season, Le Mans sealed their return to Ligue 1 for the first time since 2010, clinching second place. This historic outcome came at the expense of the Corsicans who were officially relegated to Ligue 3 after this defeat and finishing 17th in the table.
The match was interrupted for over half an hour as Le Mans celebrated their second goal. Therefore, the official confirmation of Le Mans’ promotion to Ligue 1 will have to wait.
Rodez secured the last spot for the playoffs, benefiting from Le Mans’ promotion. Laval also gained a lifeline with a victory over Boulogne (2-0) and will now compete in play-offs against the third team from the National league. With safety secured and titles already assigned, there were two playoff spots left to grab for Ligue 1, with Red Star, Rodez, Reims, and Annecy in contention.
Rodez emerged victorious against Annecy (2-1) and claimed the final playoff spot, leaving Annecy and Reims behind. Reims, despite a large win against Pau with Nakamura scoring four goals (5-2), couldn’t control their fate. In the final standings, Troyes became champions, Le Mans almost secured their promotion to Ligue 1, Amiens and Bastia were relegated to Ligue 3, while Laval will face play-offs for survival. Finally, Rodez will challenge Red Star to face ASSE and compete for the third and last promotion spot against the 18th team in Ligue 1.
Published on: 09/05/2026 22:42 Last updated on: 10/05/2026 10:54
