Few countries have the footballing tradition enjoyed by the World Cup, and European champions, France. Ligue 1 represents the top tier of French football. It’s a league that plays host to legendary clubs and important players. The league has earned a reputation for being a fertile breeding ground for future world-class players.
FootballCoin is fortunate to be able to include the matches from the 20 teams taking part in the Ligue 1, amid its fantasy football contests. With a hotly disputed competition, the fantasy Ligue 1 contests have been some of the best-received events in FootballCoin.
Ligue 1 (LFP) has always been ranked as one of the highest, as one of the European leagues that regularly puts on display the best calibre of football. The competition is also very popular. A recent study suggested that Ligue 1 was the 11th highest-grossing sports competition in the world. The league generates around 1,644 € million from ticket sales, merchandise etc. This puts the French competition in good company. Other competitions that are part of the top 20 of highest growing leagues include Formula 1, Champions League, the Premier League. Note that LFP grosses more money annually than famed competitions such as the J1 League from Japan, MLS and NASCAR from the USA.
Ligue 1, one of the most important sports competitions in the world
The popularity of Ligue 1 continues to rise. It is the reason why those in charge of the league are able to command such high-rates for television and marketing deals. Starting with 2020, the French league is set to earn approximately €1.15 billion per season. The deal will be active until 2024. This represents a record for The French Football Championship. It is enough to make Ligue 1 the 3rd highest-grossing league, in terms of TV revenue, behind only the Premier League and Bundesliga.
Given its immense popularity currently its long-lasting appeal, certainly, FootballCoin is be happy to include the Ligue 1 matches within its contests. FootballCoin, at the time of writing, is gearing towards its third year marked by its third game version. During this time, the Ligue 1 matches have represented one of the highlights of the game. FootballCoin has acquired the data, images, and symbols associated with the competition and its players.
It is also worth noting the way in which FootballCoin acquires its data and stats. The company works with a highly reputable company, Omnisport, in securing and providing this information.
An introduction to fantasy Ligue 1 football
Of course, there are a number of popular sports that in France are integrated into fantasy competitions. Tennis is especially famous, with the Rolland-Garros tournament hailed as one of the biggest four tennis competitions in the world. However, as in most other parts of the world, football is the dominant sporting force in France.
For this reason, and because of the public’s desire to enjoy a better connection with their favorite sport, fantasy football can thrive in France. The French Football Federation does not currently support its very own fantasy football game. Plenty of other European federations have chosen a different route. The Fantasy Premier League game is the most famous example. FootballCoin is happy to take on the task of representing the Ligue 1 in the world of fantasy sports.
FootballCoin includes the complete squads of all the 20 teams taking part in a season of Ligue 1. Users of the FootballCoin game are free to choose any of these players for their fantasy draft. The players are awarded points based on their performances. The users’ drafts have their points tallied up and winners of the various FootballCoin contests are then determined. Those winners are rewarded with real prizes reflected in the game’s very own cryptocurrency, XFC coin.
From there to here: a brief history of Ligue 1
In many ways, the trajectory the Ligue 1 has been on reflects the ever-rising ambition of French football. However, the competition did not exist until the 1930s. But its constant evolution has made it one of the most disputed leagues in the world and home to players of incredible potential. Ligue 1 has routinely included World Cup and European Cup champions, many of them French.
The competition was officially founded in 1932. It was first called National, before being rechristenedDivision 1 and, later, Ligue 1. French football clubs had existed prior to 1932. But, it was then that conditions were put into place to grant them the professional status required to take part in the new competition.
Like today, the league included 20 member clubs. However, those were split into 2 groups of 10. The bottom 3 clubs of each regional league, faced relegation at the end of the season. The current format, in which teams play each other twice, home and away, throughout a season, was later introduced.
The competition became known as Ligue 1 in 2002. By then the current rules of the competition had been introduced. The bottom 2 clubs, at the end of a campaign, are relegated into Ligue 2. They are replaced bynewly promoted sides. The club that finishes in 18th place gets the chance of a playoff game. The winner of it is rewarded with a new season in the French football top tier.
Based on their UEFA coefficient, the top clubs enter into European competitions. Currently, the top two French clubs gain automatic entry into the groups of the Champions League. The team that finishes third needs to make it through the UCL’s playoff rounds. The team that finishes the season in fourth place is automatically granted entry into the Europa League competition. (Note that both the Champions League and Europa League competitions are included in the FootballCoin game).
The top French clubs in Ligue 1 and fantasy football
Out of the gate, it should be noted that one of the things that helps keep Ligue 1 so entertaining is how unpredictable the competition always seems to be. Smaller clubs can be depended on to offer significant surprises and challenge for the top spots. It is also true that the bigger clubs are known to have off years in which they are not able to live up to the standards set out by their fans and the club’s management. However, for the last decades, the most important clubs in French football have tended to be the same. The most successful of all Ligue 1 clubs, remains, at least for the moment, Saint-Etienne. Yes, it is true that the bulk of their trophies were won during the 1960s. And, yes, they have not won the league since 1981. However, Saint-Etienne remains a powerful club, steeped in tradition, one that routinely challenges for the top spots in the league. The club has won the Ligue 1 trophy 10 times.
Just behind St. Etienne, Olympique Marseille, arguably one of Europe’s most beloved clubs. They have won the trophy nine times, the last victory arriving in 2010. Marseille’s history also includes victories in the Champions League (Champions Cup at the time) and runners-up medals in the Europa League (UEFA Cup at the time). While OM continues to have one of the most exciting squads in the league, the club’s failure to win the trophy in recent years has proven a sore spot for the many dedicated supporters.
Paris Saint-Germain’s crafting of a tradition of victory
Paris Saint-Germain will, without a doubt, be the first club that most football supporters think of in connection to Ligue 1. Although PSG was one of the most popular clubs in the country in the decades prior, its greatest success arrived starting with 2012. It was then that the club won its third-ever Ligue 1 trophy and the first since 1994. It was also then that the Parisians established a winning tradition.
Much of PSG’s change in fortunes can be attributed to the change of club ownership. The Qatari backed sports investment group that owns PSG, has worked to remodel the club into one of the most important ones in Europe.
The most immediate changes were those made to the squad. With a healthy transfer budget at their disposal, PSG attracted football stars like Thiago Silva, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Buffon or Edinson Cavani. This, in turn, helped raise the profile of the entire Ligue 1 competition. It also helped Paris Saint-Germain secure six Ligue 1 trophies since 2012 and eight until the present day.
The growing number of internationally famous footballers has also had a positive effect on fantasy football. The notoriety of these footballers meant that more people were keen to choose the Ligue 1. The league became the favorite of numerous users taking part in fantasy football contests in FootballCoin.
AS Monaco and Ligue 1 as a cross-border competition
Since 2011 and until the present day, PSG has lost the Ligue 1 trophy only once. It is a notable success and the club that has managed to break PSG’s streak, even at the Parisians’ zenith, is AS Monaco. The Monégasque football club is allowed, having been granted an exception, to take part in Ligue 1. And, it has done so very successfully, having won the trophy 8 times by 2019.
It is interesting to note that since the 1960s, AS Monaco has won the French championship, during ever decade. Clearly, they remain a force to be reckoned with. Their most recent bragging worthy exploit saw them clinch the domestic trophy and convincingly battle for European glory.
Their recent success was seen by many football pundits as a direct response to PSG’s own change of strategy. Similarly, AS Monaco’s fortunes were altered by a considerable amount of financial backing. It allowed them to transfer football stars such as Radamel Falcao and Stefan Jovetic. It also allowed them to nurture and develop the football talent displayed by youngsters such as James Rodriguez and Kylian Mbappe. Even though the club’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse since after their 2017 Ligue 1 victory, AS Monaco are sure to continue to plot a way to achieve victory in Ligue 1.
Lyon’s domination of the league in the 2000s and other French champions
PSG is not the only club to have held the Ligue 1 trophy in a vice grip. Throughout the first decade of the new millennium, Olympique Lyon was assuredly the dominant force in French football. In spite of going up against starch opposition, Lyon won the trophy on seven occasions. Even more impressive is the fact that Olympique Lyonnais managed seven straight victories, between 2001 and 2008.
Despite not having won the Ligue 1 since then, Lyon remains one of the most important teams in France. It should be noted that the club is especially popular among FootballCoin supporters. This is because Lyon is well-known for developing many young and talented players. Many of them typically continue their careers playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world.
The modern era has also seen Nantes and Bordeaux claim one trophy each. Both clubs have a long-lasting tradition of playing in the French first tier of football and both had won the competition in decades prior. Other notable past winners include Lille, Nice, Reims, or Lens. All of these, with the exception of RC Lens, for the moment at least, continue to be important clubs of the Ligue 1 competition.
France’s great players and their involvement with Ligue 1
It’s no secret that France has never had a shortage of talented players. Jokes exist about how France’s national team, winners of the World Cup in 2018, could have easily assembled 2-3 squads that successfully could have taken part in the competition. Now, more than ever, the French team has a great pool of players to choose from. The vast majority of these, build their reputation playing in France’s Ligue 1 system. Of France’s legendary players, almost without exception, each has a riveting history involving Ligue 1. Michel Platini, France’s first global superstar, played for Nancy and Saint-Etienne. He won the title with the latter in 1981. Platini would go on to lead France to the European championship title in 1984. He then cemented his reputation by playing for Serie A giants Juventus.
Eric Cantona’s famed history is intrinsically linked with Manchester United’s 1990s success. But, before moving to the Premier League, Cantona had become an established player in France, playing for the likes of Auxerre, Marseille, Nimes or Bordeaux.
Zinedine Zidane, as well as the other stars that made up the successful French side of the 1990s and early 2000s, all rose through the ranks as players in Ligue 1. Zidane, a player of incredible skill, leadership, winner of the majority of trophies available in modern football, began his career playing for Cannes. He continued his emergence as a potential superstar playing for Bordeaux, with whom Zidane won the Intertoto Cup in 1995. Famously, Zidane would go on to lead France to the World Cup and European Cup trophies. He then set about making a name for himself in football management at the helm of La Liga‘s Real Madrid. But, as impressive a career as his has been, it all started in the trenches of Ligue 1.
N’Golo Kante, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe or Hugo Lloris, all members of the victorious France national squad in the 2018 World Cup, started their playing careers in France, spending a large part of their initial playing days in Ligue 1.
Ligue 1 fantasy and FootballCoin
Given the rich history of Ligue 1, as well as the seemingly endless stream of quality players entering the competition’s ranks every year, fantasy Ligue 1 has been well-received by FootballCoin’s supporters. These virtual managers have been offered the chance of assembling their fantasy football drafts, every week, using any of the squad members of the 20 teams taking part in a season of the competition.
To offer the game a natural balance, especially when considering the existence of the other major football leagues in FootballCoin, Ligue 1 fantasy is free to play and almost all of the players in the league are free.
It means that managers have the option of choosing a team made up of stars, playing for top-rated clubs like PSG and AS Monaco. However, managers can also rely on the statistics offered by FootballCoin. Using these, they may find hidden gems, players that are, perhaps, not on everyone’s radar, but who, nonetheless, can score plenty of points.
Few football clubs are as intensely monitored and scouted as those from Ligue 1. It is because the players of French clubs are always on scout radars for major football transfers. This is just one method of proving the quality of the league, of its players and of the potential it has of being embraced by fantasy football enthusiasts.
How to create a winning fantasy football draft for Ligue 1?
There is no set formula, naturally, for how to do well in fantasy football. The players that a manager chooses must perform well in their real matches, racking up points for successful events that they are part of (passes, goals, assists).
One thing that we discuss in fantasy football tips posts, that are included on the website, is that a good draft is usually a balanced one. Sure, it will always feel exciting to have star players included in your team. It is only natural that the most popular players in a league would tend to be the ones most picked. However, it is often the players that simply maintain a great average throughout a season that end supplying the team with the points needed to win a contest.
Managers will need to choose a starting 11 and a formation through which the players will be organized. After this, they will need to choose a virtual substitute bench.
One player has to be be selected for each playing position (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, attacker). These players contribute with 50% of their scoring to their team’s final tally. Finally, they will need to assign an Assistant Manager. He will bring points to the squad automatically, based on his ranking. For example, the 5* Assistant Managers, the highest-rated ones, automatically contribute 15 points to the final result each time that they are chosen.
The resources needed to assemble a top fantasy team
Yes, fantasy football is a game dedicated to those obsessed with stats. It is typical of these types of games that those with the extra bit of information, about player form, selection, morale, are those that end up being successful. The old joke about knowing that the striker‘s dog has been sick with a cold, and opting not to choose him, happens to be, in many ways, correct.
To allow managers to develop their strategies well, FootballCoin provides them with a number of resources. Each can be used to garner a better insight about who is really winning in a given league. Take for example the blog posts supplied by the website. Many of them are constructed as fantasy football scouting tips. They, ideally, can help managers opt for quality players for their drafts. Similarly, the football news stories, keep the community of virtual managers up to date on the most important things going on in the world of football.
The FootballCoin game also allows managers to see detailed stats, graphs displaying the evolution of a player or a team’s form throughout the season. Users may choose between the various leagues and contests being organized by FootballCoin or privately.
Football and Ligue 1’s popularity
Football has been, without a doubt, for almost a century the most popular sport worldwide. It is estimated that around 3.5 billion of the world’s population can be counted as fans of football. The game itself and the industries connected with it accumulate revenue in excess of $25 billion per year. And, if the trends are to be believed, football’s popularity is only growing with important global players just having entered the race in recent years. France has a great sporting tradition with rugby and basketball particularly popular in all regions of the country. However, as is the case in most parts of the world, football has become the driving force in French sport. A recent estimate suggested that around 18000 football clubs exist in France, while over 2 million players are officially registered with the Fédération française de football.
The national team’s success in the World Cup, coupled with the emergence of numerous football stars active in Ligue 1, has also helped raise attendance levels for domestic games. The most recent season, of 2018/19, was the most highly attended in Ligue 1 history. Ligue 1 Conforma games drew 8.67 million fans. This figure is 1,8% higher than the attendance registered the season prior. The most popular club in France remains Olympique de Marseille, a club that gathers more 50000 supporters per home match.
Fantasy football is already well-known in France. And, there is without a doubt potential for even more fans to embrace the game.
Fantasy football’s popularity in France and worldwide
It is telling just how popular fantasy football has become throughout the world, that the concept itself has been intrinsically linked with the game of football. Indeed, most football fans play fantasy sports or, at the very least, have an inkling about the concept and gameplay.
Fantasy sports began in the early part of the 20th century, in the USA, the country that still accounts for the highest number of its fans. By the early 1990s the game had been established, centered on football, in Europe. England and Italy were the first to have independent fantasy leagues set up. With football fans showing a continuous interest in this game of skill, important publications started making fantasy football a constant item amid their pages. The transfer of the game towards the digital age meant that users could play easier, faster while having a higher degree of control.
Fantasy sports is a trendy word on account of the rising popularity of these types of games. There are hundreds of millions of fans worldwide. Just to put things into perspective, we should mention that in the US, it is estimated that 57.4 million people played in some type of fantasy league or game in 2018. In India, it is estimated that around 40 million people have participated in fantasy sports.
The UK Premier League‘s fantasy football game, currently the most popular of its kind, includes 3 million registered users. Other games that attract millions of users in Britain alone include Sky Sports Fantasy Football Premier League, Telegraph Fantasy Football Online, European Fantasy League, and Mail Online Fantasy Football.
FootballCoin is a daily fantasy game that takes on many of the known ingredients used in these type of contests but also aims to innovate. FootballCoin is a blockchain game, with its own cryptocurrency (XFC), real rewards, where what managers collect remains theirs to keep and where the top football competitions in the world are included, among them, Ligue 1.
Free to play fantasy Ligue 1 football
FootballCoin is a game that is free to play, based entirely on skill and, to boot, offers its users real rewards. While it is true that the gaming industry is rising like never before, it is also true that even for the most skilled players, there are few benefits for playing and helping make the game popular. FootballCoin, on the other hand, allows you to win XFC cryptocurrency which you may store or trade on reputable cryptocurrecy exchange services. Also, the collectable player and stadium cards, once purchased or gifted, remain in the possession of their current owner.
At the time of writing, FootballCoin is gearing towards launching its third updated version of the game. The release will coincide with FootballCoin’s third year in existence. Since its release, the game has been free to play and has ensured that the majority of the players represented in it are free to be chosen by any of the virtual managers.
The emergence of the new version of the game will be based on a similar formula. But, to reward the efforts of our most involved managers, some features, including the use of certain players, will now be available to be unclocked through different actions performed in the game.
This daily fantasy sports game gives all managers the same opportunity to win contests. As for those winners, they tend to be users with a great passion for the game of football. Their knowledge of the game is what drives them to play and helps them win the cryptocurrency prizes.
Building a collection of FootballCoin cards
All fans of LFP fantasy Ligue 1, or of international football, will be aware of the natural desire to own a part of your team’s history. It is the reason why football merchandise continues to play an important role in setting up the revenue of even the biggest of clubs. It is the reason why fans of football tend to be collections of merchandise and other things that display their affection for the sport.
Football cards and the act of collecting them have been part of the football fans’ universe for decades. FootballCoin looks to take this concept and adapt it in a neat package for the modern world in which blockchain technology plays a prominent role.
FootballCoin collectable cards represent the players and the stadiums ranked 3*, 4* and 5*. Although these are a minority in the game, they target the top echelon of players and stadiums in the football world. Choosing to use these players in games is likely to help the user gather points. Opting to organize a private contest on one of these football stadiums, will allow the user to gather a higher number of participants. This, in turn, will help the organizers earn a larger share of XFC cryptocurrency.
Each week of Ligue 1 represented in fantasy sports contests
The Ligue 1 season is one that is filled with twists and turns, winners and losers of each week as well as of the entire competition. FootballCoin allows its fantasy football users to compete from week to week taking into consideration all matches of the Ligue 1 season.
Typically, FootballCoin will organize contests that include the entire round of matches of a single week. Registration to a contest ends 15 ahead of the first match included in the contest. The contest ends once every single game included din the contest has finished and results have been tallied up. Then, participants are able to check on the site’s contest page to view their results. The teams and results of all other participants are also visible. These are not displayed before or throughout the contest.
Setting up private Ligue 1 contests
The FootballCoin website organizes a large number of free fantasy contests throughout the week. However, users may find it fun and profitable to set up their very own contests. Each user may set up a contest that features 11 participants.
The users that own a stadium card ranked upwards of 3* may organize contests for a larger group of participants. By doing this, and having more people join, they will be awarded a larger amount of XFC, representing a percentage of the entire prize pool collected by the entry fee to join the contest.
When organizing a private contest, the user that sets up the event gets to customize all the information related to it. They may choose what matches they want to be included (e.g. they may choose all the matches from a round of Ligue 1), the entry fee and even the participants.
The evolution of FootballCoin and Ligue 1
The fantasy game of FootballCoin has looked to evolve and improve since its beginning. New features are constantly added to the game. News stories and blog posts are placed on the website, stats are renewed and the game developers attempt to raise awareness of the game. FootballCoin’s goal remains the same, that of creating a bridge between the worlds of blockchain technology and fantasy sports.
As for the Ligue 1 competition, the French top tier has never been more popular or has included as many top quality players as it does now. With ever-increasing investments in developing French footballers and an enviable tradition of securing important results, Ligue 1 will remain one of the most important sporting competitions in the world.
FootballCoin will aim at continuing to grow, improving its game, gaining new supporters, all the while making Ligue 1 fantasy football one of its priorities and best-represented football leagues.
Join the best football Fantasy game and find the manager inside you
Ligue 1 (LFP) has always been ranked as one of the highest, as one of the European leagues that regularly puts on display the best calibre of football. The competition is also very popular. A recent study suggested that Ligue 1 was the 11th highest-grossing sports competition in the world. The league generates around 1,644 € million from ticket sales, merchandise etc. This puts the French competition in good company. Other competitions that are part of the top 20 of highest growing leagues include Formula 1, Champions League, the Premier League. Note that LFP grosses more money annually than famed competitions such as the J1 League from Japan, MLS and NASCAR from the USA. 
However, for the last decades, the most important clubs in French football have tended to be the same. The most successful of all Ligue 1 clubs, remains, at least for the moment, Saint-Etienne. Yes, it is true that the bulk of their trophies were won during the 1960s. And, yes, they have not won the league since 1981. However, Saint-Etienne remains a powerful club, steeped in tradition, one that routinely challenges for the top spots in the league. The club has won the Ligue 1 trophy 10 times.
Of France’s legendary players, almost without exception, each has a riveting history involving Ligue 1. Michel Platini, France’s first global superstar, played for Nancy and Saint-Etienne. He won the title with the latter in 1981. Platini would go on to lead France to the European championship title in 1984. He then cemented his reputation by playing for Serie A giants Juventus.
France has a great sporting tradition with rugby and basketball particularly popular in all regions of the country. However, as is the case in most parts of the world, football has become the driving force in French sport. A recent estimate suggested that around 18000 football clubs exist in France, while over 2 million players are officially registered with the Fédération française de football.
