France’s Ligue 1 has set a new record attendance for a single match week as an average of 31,484 fans attended fixtures at the weekend.
The average attendance surpasses the previous record of 31,351, which was set on the penultimate weekend of last season.
The 2022-23 campaign marked the final season that Ligue 1 was contested by 20 teams. For this season, the number has been reduced to 18.
Despite the reduction in the number of teams, France’s Professional Football League (LFP) said that the total attendance across the 11 match weeks so far this season is 2.66 million – a new record.
The average attendance for Ligue 1 matches so far this season is 27,141, a 14% increase compared to last season. The stadium occupancy rate has also reached a record level of 85%, compared to 81% in 2022-23.
Almost half of Ligue 1 clubs have a 90% stadium occupancy rate so far this season: RC Lens, Stade Brestois 29, Paris Saint-Germain, RC Strasbourg Alsace, Olympique Marseille, Stade Rennais FC, Clermont Foot 63 and FC Lorient.
Ligue 1 matches attracted a total of 9.05 million spectators during the 2022-23 season. Over the course of the season, an average of 23,810 fans attended matches.
Due to the restructuring of Ligue 1, four clubs (Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes and Angers) were relegated from the top division last season, while two teams (Le Havre and Metz) were promoted from Ligue 2.
Ajaccio had the second lowest average attendance in Ligue 1 last season (7,315). Le Havre’s attendance jumped 111% last season compared to the previous year as the club won the Ligue 2 title.
