Ligue 1 Records Highest Mid-Season Attendance Since Move to 18-Club Format.

Roger Hampel

Image: Ligue 1

Ligue 1 has reported a record level of stadium attendance at the midpoint of the 2025/26 season, confirming a sustained increase in domestic fan demand following the league’s transition to an 18-club format.

Across the first 17 matchdays, 4.21 million spectators attended Ligue 1 fixtures — the highest mid-season total since the competition adopted its current structure. The figure represents an increase of approximately 8,000 spectators compared to the previous mid-season record set in 2024/25.

Full Stadiums and Matchday Benchmarks Ligue 1

The strongest single-match attendance of the season so far was recorded during the fixture between Olympique de Marseille and Stade Brestois, which attracted 66,279 spectators. In total, 57 matches were played at full capacity during the first half of the campaign, underlining the league’s ability to consistently fill stadiums across different markets.

Structural Growth in Average Attendance

Beyond headline totals, average attendance figures also reached a new mid-season high. Ligue 1 stadiums recorded an average of 27,505 spectators per match, a year-on-year increase of 0.2% compared to mid-season 2024/25.

Five clubs exceeded an average attendance of 35,000 spectators per home match:

• Olympique de Marseille

• Paris Saint-Germain

• Olympique Lyonnais

• LOSC Lille

• RC Lens

At the growth end of the spectrum, Paris FC, RC Strasbourg and FC Lorient posted the highest percentage increases in average attendance, with rises of 40%, 31% and 29% respectively.

Image: Ligue 1

Capacity Utilisation at Historic Levels

The league’s average stadium occupancy rate reached 88%, the highest level recorded at the mid-season point. This represents an increase of 1.6 percentage points compared to the same stage last season.

Eight clubs reported average occupancy rates above 90%: Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille, RC Lens, RC Strasbourg, Stade Brestois, Stade Rennais, FC Lorient and AJ Auxerre.

Over the past five seasons, Ligue 1’s average stadium fill rate has increased from 70.7% to 88%, pointing to a structural rather than cyclical improvement.

Subscription Growth Strengthens Revenue Visibility

The attendance trend is reinforced by growth in season-ticket subscriptions. Ligue 1 clubs collectively reported 330,000 season-ticket holders, equating to an average of 18,200 subscribers per club — both all-time records at this stage of the season.

From a football business perspective, higher subscription volumes improve revenue predictability and reduce reliance on single-match ticket sales, particularly in a media environment where broadcast revenues are under pressure.