Ligue 1 used to be the league everyone ignored until the Champions League highlights came on. Not anymore. If you haven't been looking at the france ligue 1 stats lately, you are missing a total mess of a season—in the best way possible.
PSG isn't running away with it. Lens is actually sitting at the top of the pile. Let that sink in for a second. We're well into the 2025-2026 campaign, and the hierarchy of French football looks like someone put the 2024 table into a blender and hit "liquefy."
The Lens Miracle and PSG’s Efficiency Problem
Honestly, the most shocking thing isn't that Lens is first; it’s how they're doing it. They’ve played 17 matches and managed to claw together 40 points. That is a 2.35 points-per-match clip. For a club that doesn't have the budget of a small nation, that’s basically impossible.
Lens isn't even the highest-scoring team. That’s PSG with 37 goals.
But Lens has Robin Risser. The kid is 17 games deep with 6 clean sheets and a save percentage of 78.7%. When you look at the france ligue 1 stats for defensive efficiency, Lens is the gold standard. They've only conceded 13 goals.
PSG, meanwhile, is doing PSG things. They have 69.7% average possession. It’s almost boring. They pass the ball 679 times a match, but they’ve already dropped points in five games. They’re second with 39 points, trailing Lens by a single point. Vitinha is basically the glue holding them together right now, leading the league with 6 assists and an absurd 118 accurate passes per 90 minutes.
The Mason Greenwood Factor in Marseille
Marseille is sitting in third, but they have the league's most lethal individual. Mason Greenwood has 11 goals in 16 appearances.
He’s overperforming his Expected Goals (xG) which sits at about 8.7. That tells you he’s scoring goals he probably shouldn't be. It’s clinical. It’s also kinda scary for the rest of the league.
Marseille leads the league in attendance, too. Over 64,000 people are cramming into the Velodrome every other week. The energy there is reflected in the numbers: 36 goals scored, third in the league for xG, and a team that refuses to draw. They either win big or lose in a shootout.
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Scoring Leaders and the xG Reality Check
The "top scorer" list usually tells you who’s lucky, but the xG list tells you who’s actually good. Check this out:
- Mason Greenwood (Marseille): 11 goals (8.7 xG)
- Joaquin Panichelli (Strasbourg): 10 goals (9.7 xG)
- Esteban Lepaul (Rennes): 9 goals (xG data varies, but he’s the breakout star)
- Pavel Šulc (Lyon): 8 goals
Panichelli at Strasbourg is the one to watch. His xG of 9.7 is the highest in the league. That means he is constantly in the right spot. He’s not just getting lucky; he’s a volume shooter who is going to keep scoring.
Strasbourg is in 7th, which is a massive jump for them. They’re playing this chaotic, high-pressing style that leads to a ton of chances. They’ve actually won more "Big Chances" than almost anyone else in the top half.
Why Nobody Can Beat the Lens Defense
Lens has 9 clean sheets as a team.
Wait.
Think about that. In 17 games, they haven't conceded in more than half of them.
While PSG has Lucas Chevalier—who actually has the most individual clean sheets with 7—Lens defends as a unit. They lead the league in tackles per match (19.1) and interceptions. They don't just sit back; they hunt.
The Relegation Nightmare: Metz and Auxerre
Down at the bottom, the france ligue 1 stats get depressing real fast. Metz has conceded 38 goals in 17 matches. Their goalkeeper, Jonathan Fischer, is facing a firing squad every weekend, averaging 3.5 saves a game just to keep the scoreline from becoming a crime scene.
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Auxerre isn't doing much better. They have a league-high 6 red cards. You can't stay in the top flight if you're playing with 10 men every third game. It’s a discipline nightmare that is overshadowing the fact that they actually create decent chances (20.3 xG).
Mid-Table Chaos: The Underperformers
Monaco is the biggest disappointment of the 2025-2026 season so far. They have an xG of 31.5—second best in the league—but they’ve only turned that into 27 actual goals. They are currently 9th.
They’re missing "Big Chances" at a rate that would make a Sunday League striker blush. Folarin Balogun and Breel Embolo are struggling to find the net despite the service. If Monaco starts finishing their dinner, they’ll fly up the table, but for now, they are the kings of "what if."
Advanced Metrics You Should Care About
If you want to sound smart at the pub, stop talking about goals and start talking about "Progressive Carries."
Lille is dominating this. They have 349 progressive carries this season. They move the ball forward better than anyone not named PSG. This is why they’re in 4th place. They don't just pass sideways; they attack the box.
| Team | Average Possession | Accurate Passes | Goals Conceded |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSG | 69.7% | 679.7 | 15 |
| Marseille | 59.6% | 520.5 | 17 |
| Lyon | 55.7% | 465.0 | 17 |
| Lens | 49.3% | 389.0 | 13 |
Lens winning the league with less than 50% possession is the ultimate "modern football is a lie" stat. They don't need the ball to hurt you. They just need you to make one mistake.
Key Takeaways for the Rest of the Season
So, what does this actually mean for the next few months?
First, the Lens vs. PSG title race is real. Usually, by January, PSG has a 10-point cushion. This year, they are the hunters.
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Second, watch out for Strasbourg and Lyon. Lyon has found some stability with Dominik Greif in goal (6 clean sheets), and they’re starting to look like the Lyon of old.
Lastly, keep an eye on the "Goals Prevented" stat. Hervé Koffi at Angers has prevented 8.8 goals. That is insane. He is single-handedly keeping a bad team in matches. Without him, Angers would be rooted to the bottom of the table instead of sitting in 10th.
What to do with this information
If you're betting or just following along, stop betting on "Over 2.5 goals" for Lens games. Their defense is too disciplined.
Instead, look at Marseille's home games. With Greenwood's form and that crowd, they are a lock for high-scoring affairs.
Check the injury reports for Vitinha. If he goes down, PSG’s entire progression system collapses. He is the most important player in France right now, and the france ligue 1 stats back that up 100%.
The 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season is proving that money doesn't always buy a clean sheet, and possession is useless if you don't have a killer in the box.
Keep an eye on the disciplinary records of the bottom five teams. Auxerre and Metz are playing "desperation football," which leads to cards and penalties. If you see them playing a fast-breaking team like Lille, expect a lopsided scoreline and at least one trip to the VAR monitor.