LNH Division 1
LNH Division 1, doing business as Starligue and currently known as Liqui Moly Starligue for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional handball league in France. It is administered by the Ligue Nationale de Handball, under delegation from the French Handball Federation. Founded in 1952, it is currently contested by 16 teams.
| Current season, competition or edition: | |
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| Countries | France |
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| Confederation | EHF |
| Founded | 1952 (as Nationale 1) |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Relegation to | LNH Division 2 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Coupe de France Coupe de la Ligue |
| International cup(s) | Champions League European League |
| Current champions | Paris Saint-Germain (2020–21) |
| Most championships | Montpellier Handball (14) |
| TV partners | beIN Sports |
| Website | Official website |
Montpellier Handball is the most successful club with 14 titles, and the club which won the most consecutive titles is Paris Saint-Germain with 7 between 2015 and 2021.
The champion and the vice-champion are directly qualified for the group phase of the EHF Champions League. The winners of the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue are qualified for the European League. If the winner of (one of) these cups is also the champion, the place(s) are attributed in terms of the Division 1 ranking.
Since 2016, the league has had a title sponsor. Discount retail chain Lidl was the first, paying €1 million per season for the rights (with the exception of the final season, a short term extension signed during the COVID-19 crisis).[1] It was succeeded in 2021 by lubricant manufacturer Liqui Moly.
Current season
2020–21 Teams
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pays d'Aix Université Club | Aix-en-Provence | Complexe sportif du Val de l'Arc Arena du Pays d'Aix |
1,650 6,004 |
| Chartres Métropole | Chartres | Halle Jean-Cochet | 1,200 |
| Chambéry | Chambéry | Le Phare | 4,400 |
| Dunkerque | Dunkerque | Stade des Flandres | 2,400 |
| US Ivry | Ivry-sur-Seine | Gymnase Auguste-Delaune | 1,500 |
| US Créteil | Créteil | Palais des Sports Robert Oubron | 2,500 |
| Montpellier | Montpellier | Palais des sports René-Bougnol Sud de France Arena |
3,000 8,000 |
| Nantes | Nantes | Palais des Sports Halle XXL de la Beaujoire |
5,000 9,000 |
| USAM Nîmes | Nîmes | Le Parnasse | 3,391 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Paris | Stade Pierre de Coubertin Halle Georges Carpentier |
3,402 4,300 |
| Saint Raphaël | Saint-Raphaël | Palais des sports J-F Krakowski | 2,000 |
| Istres Provence Handball | Istres | Halle polyvalente | 2,000 |
| Fenix Toulouse | Toulouse | Palais des Sports André Brouat | 4,200 |
| Tremblay | Tremblay-en-France | Palais des sports | 1,020 |
| Limoges Hand 87 | Limoges | Salle Henri-Normand | 1,168 |
| Cesson Rennes | Cesson-Sévigné | Glaz Arena | 4,500 |
Winners
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Statistics
EHF coefficients
The following data indicates French coefficient rankings between European handball leagues.
EHF League Ranking for 2020/21 season:[2]
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EHF Club Ranking as of 5 November 2019:[3]
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See also
- LFH Division 1 Féminine, the corresponding women's competition
References
- Menjot, Pierre (10 July 2020). "Lidl Starligue : Lidl arrêtera le naming en 2021". lequipe.fr. Groupe Amaury. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- "2020/21 season ranking" (PDF). European Handball Federation. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- "Club coefficients". eurotopteam.com. Retrieved 5 November 2019.

