Ligue 1 2024/2025 will kick off on the weekend of August 17-18, just a week after the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The reigning champions, Paris Saint-Germain, under the management of Luis Henrique, will begin their campaign away at Stade Oceane against Le Havre. Interesting fixtures on the opening weekend include Stade de Rennes versus Olympique Lyon and Monaco against newly promoted Saint-Etienne, a club with 10 titles, second only to PSG's 12, although their last title came in the 1980-1981 season during Michel Platini's era.
In the second round on August 25, the highlight will be Lyon versus Monaco, while the third round on September 1 will feature Lille against Paris Saint-Germain. The Côte d'Azur derby between Marseille and Nice is scheduled for the fourth round on September 15. The fifth round on September 22 will see Lyon face Marseille. Starting from October 27, several intense French derbies will take place.
"Le Classique" between Olympique Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain at the Velodrome is undoubtedly the most anticipated match, set for October 27, with the return fixture on March 16. The same day will see two more derbies: the Côte d'Azur derby between Nice and Monaco at the Allianz Riviera (return match on March 30), and the "Derby du Nord" between Lens and Lille at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The Rhône derby between Lyon and Saint-Etienne will be on November 10 at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, with the return match on April 20 at Stade Geoffroy Guichard. Finally, the Breton derby between Nantes and Rennes will take place on December 8 at Stade de la Beaujoire, with the return fixture on April 20 at Roazhon Park.
It will be extremely difficult for other teams to challenge PSG's dominance, as they secured the title last season without significant struggle. The Parisian club finished first with 76 points after 34 games, with 22 wins, 10 draws, and 2 losses. They scored 81 goals and conceded 33. The top scorer of the 2023/2024 Ligue 1 season was none other than Kylian Mbappé, with 27 goals in his final year in Paris. This summer, the French phenomenon has moved to Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti's management, in pursuit of a Ballon d'Or.