The French Le Championnat (also known as Ligue 1) is the top division in French football. It is ranked the 5th best division in European football, a status that means it attracts much betting action, so it is easy to find a bookmaker with a variety of bets available for Le Championnat and its matches.

Le Championnat has a 38-match schedule that involves all 20 teams in the division playing each other twice (home and away). At the end of the season the team with the most points are crowned French Champions (even though Le Championnat actually includes one team from outside of France, Monaco). Furthermore, the top three teams qualify for the UEFA Champions league, the fourth and fifth-placed teams qualify for the Europa league, with the possibility of the sixth and seventh-placed teams also qualifying depending on the outcome of the French domestic cup competitions. The bottom three teams are automatically relegated to Ligue 2, with the top three teams in that division replacing them.

The outcome of the French first division has historically been fairly unpredictable with a wide variety of teams winning Le Championnat over the years. The club with the most titles is actually St Etienne, although they have not won one for many years and are no longer a major force. Recently Le Championnat has been dominated by Lyon, who won seven titles in a row, until last season, when their run was halted by Bordeaux's first title in 10 years. Lyon and Bordeaux will certainly be challenging for the title again this season, along with the other big Le Championnat clubs, Monaco, Marseilles and PSG. As there are many competing bookmakers offering Le Championnat bets, it pays to shop around for the best odds when making your champions, top three and relegation bets.