Canadians Abroad 25/26: Première Ligue

HISTORY

The Première Ligue is France’s highest tier of professional women’s soccer. Previously known as Division 1 Féminine or D1 Arkema, the league started in 1975 and is organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). However, it was not fully professionalized until the 2009/10 season, and even so, investment among clubs varies. The league recently underwent a transformation, debuting in 2024, which split D1 and D2 (had two divisions) into three distinct tiers - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The federation also invested in a rebrand and announced further professionalization.

As for the clubs, the most successful one is the current titleholder Olympique Lyonnais. The 18-time winners rattled off a record fourteen-straight titles from 2007-20 and another four from 2021-25. The Michelle Kang-owned club underwent its own rebrand this off-season, rebranding from the classic Olympique Lyon to Olympique Lyonnais. The new crest prominently features a female lion. The clubs underwent a bit of an overhaul on the pitch, adding players like Lawrence, Brand, Katoto, Engen, Yohannes, and Albert. Their biggest rival, Paris Saint-Germain, went through their own off-season transformation, signing Carmona, Jourde, Echegini, and Ajibade. Expect the two powerhouses to compete for the top two spots, with an edge for OL due to having a stronger squad and coach.

The fight for third and fourth tends to be more competitive with Paris FC, Fleury, Montpellier, Dijon, and Reims, all finishing as the “best of the rest” in recent years. The Première Ligue is currently ranked as the best women’s league in Europe, an honour it has held nearly every year since 2018/19. This is largely driven by OL and PSG’s UEFA Women’s Champions League success; OL has won the tournament a record eight times while PSG are a perennial knock-out round team.

The league features 12 teams, with each team playing one other twice– once at home and once away. To increase the league’s competitiveness, the Première Ligue adopted an end-of-season play-off format two years ago. Now, the top four regular season finishers play single-match elimination games where 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd. The winners of the semi-finals then square off for the Trophée des Championnes a week later. The two last-place teams get relegated to the Seconde Ligue.

Three teams qualify for UWCL; the first-place regular season and play-off winning teams automatically qualify for the group stages, while a third team enters the Qualification rounds.

Another trophy up for grabs is the Coupe de France Fèminine. It’s given to the winner of the season-long cup tournament for all professional and non-professional women’s teams in France. 

The Première Ligue has been home to some of Canada’s biggest stars– such as Kadeisha Buchanan, Vanessa Gilles, Jordyn Huitema and Ashley Lawrence– but is also a great landing spot for our developing talent. Currently, 10 Canadians ply their trade in France’s top division. 

AS Saint-Étienne (ASSE) has the most Canadians in their squad. Two returnees are Haitian dual-national Amandine Pierre-Louise and forward Alex Lamontagne (2 Canadian caps). Both featured regularly for Les Vertes in 24/25. Lamontagne is still recovering from injury. They are joined by 18-yo Nikolina Istocki who signed her first pro contract after a successful trial this summer. The forward from Mississauga and YNT player is one to watch this season.

Ashley Lawrence is the most notable CanWNT player in France this season following Vanessa Gilles departure. She joins former rival OL after 2.5 seasons with Chelsea. Lawrence is familiar with the league given the seven years (157 matches, 11 goals, 29 assists) she played for PSG. The 30-yo fullback has a good chance at being a starter with Lyonnes, a welcome change after a couple of frustrating years in London.

Florianne Jourde (20) is the newest Canadian at PSG, signing a three-year contract with the Paris club. The former USC Trojan and U20 YNT Captain starts her pro career in a highly competitive environment. She has made multiple appearances in pre-season but is not expected to be a locked-in starter so early in her career. The creative midfielder can play both as an eight or a ten and has excellent vision and the ability to play the decisive ball. She’ll be a fun one to keep an eye on this season.

Another new name in the Premiere Ligue this season is Margot Shore. The former Ottawa Gee Gee keeper has been playing in Italy’s Serie B for years. She was impressive enough during her stints in Bologna, Verona, Lecce, and Bari to make the Italian National Team’s expanded roster. Her move to the Premiere Ligue’s newly promoted Olympique Marseille is an opportunity to take her game to the next level. The 28-yo from Ottawa is known for her shot-stopping ability, as well as her composure on the ball.

Emily Burns at FC Nantes is another Canadian keeper to keep an eye on. This will be her third season with the club and her fifth in France, with prior stops in Saint Etienne and Dijon. The former MacEwan Griffon was a standout for Nantes last season, starting every match and earning 6 clean sheets, as well as multiple player of the match awards. The 28-yo from Sherwood Park, AB may be on Casey Stoney’s radar as usual third keeper Proulx underwent surgery this summer.

Elisabeth Tsé has established herself as a reliable pro over the last 2.5 years in France. While the 22-year-old from Quebec City has not been called into a senior CANXNT camp yet, but has made multiple appearances for the youth national teams. The defender features regularly in Le Havre’s starting XI and has a contract through 2027. 

Marie Levasseur (13 caps) begins her third season with Montpellier and her fifth in France. The 28-year-old fullback has been back in the CANXNT picture thanks to a strong 24/25 campaign that saw her captain her side on multiple occasions. She made 3 appearances under Casey Stoney and has looked up to the task when called upon.

 Last but not least, Canadian-Armenian dual-national Lara Kazandjian will lace up for promoted side RC Lens. She joined the club in the second half of the 24/24 Seconde Ligue campaign. The midfielder who played for Creighton in the NCAA and hails from Kirkland, QC, made 14 appearances for the Canadian YNTs before switching allegiances to compete for her parents’ native country.

9 more Canadians are competing in the Seconde Ligue in 25/26. Taylor Beitz is expected to be the starting goalkeeper for Lille, once again. She wore the armband a few times last season, and this’ll be her fifth season in France. 

Veteran striker Pilar Khoury just signed a contract with Metz, making this her 10th season in France (46 goals). The 31yo from Ottawa plays for the Lebanese national team on the international stage. She’ll play alongside fellow Canadian Mikayla Dayes, who has represented Jamaica previously.

Haitian dual-nationals Jasmine Vilgrain and Anyssa Ibrahim are suiting up for Rodez and Le Mans, respectively. Lastly, Canadian duo Maya Ladhani and Marika Laurendeau continue their journeys with Thonan Evian after successful 24/25 campaigns.

HOW TO WATCH

The easiest way to watch games in Canada is through FFF.tv for free, however, they don’t have the broadcast rights to all of the games and tend to lose out on the matches with the higher-ranked teams to paid broadcasters. You’ll need a VPN and a Canal+ subscription or a non-Canadian DAZN account for these. Canal+ subscriptions start from 20€ a month (approx. $30 CAD), while DAZN’s women’s soccer package is still free.