The 2021/22 French Ligue 1 season has been concluded with PSG winning a record-equalling 10th title with four matches to spare. Saint-Etienne, Metz and Bordeaux got relegated while Toulouse, Ajaccio and Auxerre are the newly promoted teams for the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season.
The 2022/23 Ligue 1 season will be the 85th season of France’s premier club football competition. It will begin on the 6th of August 2022 and will conclude on the 4th of June 2023.
Due to the fact that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will start on the 21st of November, the last round before stoppage will be held on 12th/13th November. The league will resume on the 27th of December.
Four clubs will be relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the season as the number of clubs in the French top flight will be reduced to 18 from 2023/24. As a result, no play-offs will be held at the end of next season.
In this article, FootballOrbit presents you with the newly promoted teams in Ligue 1 for the 2022/23 season.
Toulouse
Toulouse FC won the Ligue 2 to return to the top flight after a 2-year absence.
The club is based in Toulouse, France. It was founded in 1970 (52 years ago) and nicknamed Le Téfécé. It plays its home matches at the 33,151 capacity Stadium de Toulouse.
The club is owned by American firm, RedBird Capital Partners — who recently purchased Serie A champions AC Milan. Toulouse’s President is Damien Comolli and the manager is Philippe Montanier.
After its foundation in 1970, it gained promotion to the top flight 12 years later (1982). Thereafter, Toulouse began bouncing back-and-forth between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
Their highest finish in Ligue 1 was in 2006/07 when they finished 3rd to earn a place in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, where they lost to Liverpool.
In 2008/09, Toulouse finished 4th in the Ligue 1 table and secured a spot in the Europa League, while their striker, André-Pierre Gignac, was the topscorer in Ligue 1 with 24 goals that season.
In 2020, they were relegated to Ligue 2 after the LFP elected to end the season early due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, RedBird Capital Partners acquired an 85% stake in Toulouse FC.
The club got promoted back to Ligue 1 in 2022 after emerging as champions of the 2nd division.
Toulouse have participated in European competition five times, including in 2007 when they qualified for the UEFA Champions League play-offs for the first time ever.
Their fiercest rivals are Bordeaux. Toulouse matches versus Bordeaux is called the Derby de la Garonne because both clubs play in cities that situate themselves along the Garonne River.
Toulouse’s best players are: Rhys Healey, Branco van den Boomen, Mikkel Desler, Rafael Ratão, Ado Onaiwu, Nathan N’Goumou and Stijn Spierings.
Ajaccio
AC Ajaccio gained promotion to Ligue 1 after finishing as runners-up in the 2nd division. They return to the top flight after an 8-year absence.
The club is based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica, France and was founded 1910 (112 years ago).
It was nicknamed as L’ours (The Bears). Ajaccio plays its home games at the 10,446 capacity Stade François Coty. The club’s Chairman is Christian Leca while the manager is Olivier Pantaloni.
In 1967, Ajaccio became the first Corsican club to play in the French top tier.
Their last appearance in Ligue 1 was in the 2013/14 season — when they were relegated after finishing in last place, following a spell of three seasons in the top flight. Painfully, their relegation was confirmed with defeat at neighbours and bitter rivals, Bastia.
Ajaccio came third in Ligue 2 in the 2017/18 season — qualifying for the play-offs, where they lost the final to Toulouse.
The club were denied promotion in 2019/20 when the season was cancelled with 10 games remaining due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They secured their return to the top flight in 2021/22 after coming 2nd in Ligue 2.
Their fiercest rivals are fellow Corsican club, Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby (Derby Corse).
Ajaccio best players are: Riad Nouri, Gaëtan Courtet, Jean-Philippe Krasso and Yanis Cimignan.
Auxerre
Auxerre return to Ligue 1 after a 10-year absence. It finished 3rd in Ligue 2 and won the promotion play-offs.
NB: In France, the promotion play-offs to the top flight involves the 3rd, 4th and 5th-placed teams in Ligue 2, and the 18th-placed team in Ligue 1.
Fully known as Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, the club is based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy, France. It was founded in 1905 (116 years ago).
It was nicknamed as Les diplomates (The Diplomats) and hosts its home matches at the 18,541 capacity Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps.
The club’s owner is James Zhou, the President is Francis Graille while the manager is Jean-Marc Furlan.
Auxerre made its Ligue 1 debut in the 1980/81 season and remained a fixture in the top flight until the 2011/12 season when it got relegated (after 32 years).
The club has won the Ligue 1 title once (in 1995/96). Two years prior, Auxerre won its first major trophy by winning the Coupe de France in 1994. It has since added 3 more Coupe de France titles.
Auxerre had played in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League on several occasions and won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1997 and 2006.
In the 2021/22 Ligue 2 season, Auxerre were finally promoted back to Ligue 1 for the first time in 10 years, after a penalty shoot-out win against Saint-Etienne in the relegation play-offs.
Their fiercest rivals are Troyes and Dijon.
Auxerre’s best players are: Gaëtan Charbonnier, Gauthier Hein, Mathias Autret and Quentin Bernard.
