If you’ve been keeping half an eye on French football lately, you’ll know that Ligue 2 is basically a high-stakes game of musical chairs played by people who really, really like to kick each other. It’s wild. Honestly, looking at the Ligue 2 league table right now feels like trying to read a map in a hurricane.
Everything is upside down. Big historical giants like AS Saint-Étienne and Montpellier HSC—teams that usually belong in the top flight—are currently scrapping for every single point in the mud of the second tier. Meanwhile, smaller outfits are punching way above their weight.
Who is actually winning Ligue 2 right now?
As of mid-January 2026, ES Troyes AC has snatched the top spot, and they aren't looking back. They’ve played 18 games and managed to collect 38 points, which is a pretty solid cushion. Their secret? A defense that just refuses to break. They’ve only conceded 16 goals all season. When you have Tawfik Bentayeb leading the line with 9 goals already, you’re gonna win a lot of games 1-0 or 2-0.
But it’s tight. Like, really tight.
Stade de Reims and Red Star FC are breathing down their necks, both sitting on 32 points. It’s a bit of a shock to see Red Star this high up after coming up from the National division, but their goalkeeper Gaëtan Poussin has been a literal wall, racking up 9 clean sheets.
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The Top 6 Battle (The Promotion Zone)
The race for the top two spots—the golden tickets for automatic promotion—is where the real drama lives. Behind the leaders, we have a massive logjam.
- Troyes: 38 pts (The favorites)
- Stade de Reims: 32 pts (Fighting to go back up immediately)
- Red Star FC: 32 pts (The underdog story of the year)
- AS Saint-Étienne: 31 pts (Huge fans, huge pressure, huge expectations)
- Le Mans FC: 31 pts (Quietly consistent and very dangerous)
- USL Dunkerque: 30 pts (Only two points off second place!)
Saint-Étienne is the one everyone watches. Their attendance is insane—averaging over 29,000 people. That’s more than some Ligue 1 teams. When they beat Pau 6-0 back in October, everyone thought they’d run away with the league. But then they’ll go and draw 0-0 with Le Mans or lose a silly game, and the Ligue 2 league table shifts again.
How the promotion and relegation system actually works
It’s not just "top three go up." That would be too simple for French football. They love a playoff.
Basically, the teams finishing 1st and 2nd get the automatic "See ya later" and move up to Ligue 1. But for the teams in 3rd, 4th, and 5th? It’s a gauntlet. 4th plays 5th. The winner of that plays 3rd. And the winner of that has to play the 16th-place team from Ligue 1 in a terrifying two-legged playoff. It’s stressful. It’s mean. It’s great TV.
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At the other end, the bottom three teams are relegated straight down to the Championnat National. Right now, SC Bastia is in serious trouble at the bottom with only 11 points. Stade Lavallois (15 pts) and US Boulogne (16 pts) are also staring into the abyss.
The players you should be watching
If you’re looking at stats to figure out why the table looks the way it does, keep an eye on Louis Mafouta at Guingamp. The guy is a machine. He’s tied with Bentayeb at the top of the scoring charts with 9 goals.
Then there’s Gessime Yassine at Dunkerque. He’s the assist king right now with 6. Players like him are the reason Dunkerque is even in the conversation for promotion. They don't have the biggest budget, but they have guys who can create something out of nothing.
Why the middle of the table is a mess
Pau FC, Guingamp, and Montpellier are all floating around the middle. Montpellier is the biggest disappointment here. You've got Téji Savanier—who is arguably too good for this league—creating 9 big chances so far, but his teammates are just not finishing them. They’ve lost 7 games. For a club of that size, sitting in 9th place in the Ligue 2 league table is basically a crisis.
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It’s sort of the beauty of this league. On any given Friday night, the team in 15th can beat the team in 2nd. The "home field advantage" is also weirdly strong here; teams like Annecy or Rodez are nightmares to visit.
What to expect in the coming weeks
The upcoming fixtures in late January are going to be massive. We have Stade Reims vs. Saint-Étienne on January 24th. That’s a "six-pointer" if I’ve ever seen one. If Reims wins, they pull away. If Saint-Étienne wins, the race for 2nd place becomes a complete toss-up.
Also, keep an eye on Amiens and Nancy. They’re hovering just above the relegation zone. One bad week and they’re in the bottom three.
Practical Steps for Fans
- Check the Live Table: Don't rely on last week's news. This league moves fast.
- Watch the Friday Multi-plex: If you want the true Ligue 2 experience, the Friday night "Multiplex" broadcast shows all the goals as they happen. It’s the best way to see the table shift in real-time.
- Track the xG: If you're into betting or just want to be "that guy" at the pub, look at the Expected Goals (xG). Guingamp’s Louis Mafouta has an xG of 10.7 but has "only" scored 9. That suggests he’s actually getting the right chances and more goals are coming.
The second half of the season is usually where the "big" clubs find their legs and the "surprise" teams start to fade. Whether Red Star can keep this up or if Saint-Étienne finally finds some consistency is what’s going to define the final standings.
If you are following the promotion race, keep a close watch on the disciplinary records too. Quentin Paris at Annecy is averaging nearly 5 fouls per game. In a tight league, a red card in a February snowstorm can ruin a whole season’s work. Stay updated on the injury reports for Troyes, as an injury to Bentayeb would completely change the math at the top of the table.