At the end of a lively but quickly deflated final showdown, Lille qualified for the Champions League on Sunday by maintaining their 3rd place in Ligue 1, while Marseille achieved the other standout result by securing 5th place. Nice will have to go through the Ligue 1/Ligue 2 playoffs against Saint-Etienne.
Champions League: Lille can thank Lens
In these crucial moments at the end of the season, yesterday’s enemies can be today’s friends. LOSC can attest to this: defeated by Auxerre on Sunday on the final day of Ligue 1 (0-2), their salvation came thanks to their rival Lens, who crushed Lyon (4-0), LOSC’s main pursuer. This means the status quo remains in the race for the Champions League. With 61 points, Lille (3rd) maintains a one-point lead over Lyon (4th, 60 points) and will enter the Champions League, unlike Lyon who will play in the Champions League preliminary round. While Lille fans cheered for Lassine Sinayoko’s brace at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium (32nd and 90th minute), Lyon supporters were left disappointed by the spectacle at the Groupama Stadium.
Facing a Lens team reshuffled in preparation for the Coupe de France final, Lyon suffered a harsh 3-0 defeat in the first half (Said 20th and 32nd minute, Sotoca 45th+1), putting an end to any suspense in the race for the Champions League. Florian Thauvin then delivered the final blow after half-time (54th minute).
Europa League/Conference League: OM crushes the top three race
At the Velodrome, there were no more hesitations. After weeks of doubts and tensions of all kinds, Marseille quickly settled the battle with Rennes and Monaco for spots in the Europa League and Conference League. By scoring two goals against the Bretons in the first ten minutes (Hojbjerg 2nd and Gouiri 10th) in a fiery match, then sealing the deal in the second half (Aubameyang 55th), OM grabbed the 5th spot (59 points, +19) qualifying for the Europa League at the expense of their opponents of the night (6th, 59 points, +8). Monaco, who were right behind, could only hope for Europe in case of Marseille’s defeat. This hope was shattered, especially after their spectacular loss against Strasbourg (5-4).
Relegation: The bottom of the table fights back, Nice suffers
This final matchday was especially marked by the resurgence of the underdogs: Auxerre (14th, 35 points) and Le Havre (15th, 34 points) secured their survival with two important away victories against Lille and Lorient (0-2). Unfortunately, Nice (16th, 32 points) will have to go through the playoffs after a draw (0-0) against Metz, the bottom team in Ligue 1 and already relegated.
Despite being favored due to the fixture list on the final matchday, Nice’s chaotic season, with the departure of Franck Haise and the return of Claude Puel, did not have the desired effect. Since Puel’s arrival at the end of December, the former Lyon and Saint-Etienne coach has managed 2 wins, 9 draws, and 7 defeats. His players will face Saint-Etienne in the playoffs on May 21 and 24.
Relive the 34th matchday of Ligue 1:
/2026/05/17/6a0a1d3a08542290164423.jpg "Ligue 1: Match between Nantes and Toulouse definitively interrupted after the intrusion of Nantes supporters on the Beaujoire pitch.")
