Soccer-Lille, Lyon earn Champions League qualification as Nice face relegation play-off


Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris FC v Paris St Germain - Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris, France - May 17, 2026 Paris FC's Rudy Matondo in action with Paris St Germain's Senny Mayulu REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

May 17 (Reuters) - Lille and Lyon were beaten ⁠on the final day of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday but qualified for the Champions League next ⁠term, while Nice face a relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne and the fixture between Nantes and Toulouse ‌was abandoned.

Champions Paris St Germain lost 2-1 across the road at local rivals Paris FC and second-placed Lens thumped Lyon 4-0 to finish their campaign in style, with Marseille sealing a place in the Europa League after they beat Rennes 3-1.

Nice, who play in the Coupe de France final ​against Lens on Friday, must now face second-tier Saint-Etienne in a two-legged play-off ⁠to remain in Ligue 1 next season ⁠after they finished in 16th place.

Lille lost 2-0 at home to relegation-threatened Auxerre to ensure the safety of the latter ⁠with ‌Lassine Sinayoko on the scoresheet twice for the visitors.

Wesley Said scored a brace as league runners-up Lens ran riot, leaving Lyon in danger of dropping out of the top four.

But Marseille’s 3-1 defeat of Rennes saw them ⁠leapfrog the latter into fifth place and qualify for the Europa League ​next season, at the same time ‌ending Rennes’ hopes of a top four finish as they ended in sixth.

Goals from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Amine Gouiri ⁠and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ​sealed the impressive win for Marseille.

PSG lost at their local rivals, a result made worse by a first-half injury to Ousmane Dembele ahead of the Champions League final against Arsenal on May 30.

Nice have been in Ligue 1 since the 2002-03 season and needed a ⁠win over bottom side Metz and for other results to go their ​way to move out of the bottom three.

Neither happened as they were held to a 0-0 draw, which coupled with Auxerre's win at Lille and a 2-0 success for Le Havre at Lorient meant Nice did not climb out of the bottom ⁠three.

Strasbourg rallied in the second half to stun Monaco 5-4, with the latter having led 4-1 after 55 minutes in one of the most remarkable games of the season.

The clash between relegated Nantes and Toulouse was abandoned when fans from the home side invaded the pitch.

The players ran into their dressing rooms as riot police quelled the protest, before referee ​Stephanie Frappart called off the game, which is the last of the season for ⁠both sides.

Several fans appeared to target Nantes coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who was in the dug-out for the last time, having already ​said he would end his 33-year coaching career after the match.

Before Sunday's ‌final league fixture, relegated Nantes had won five of their 33 ​league matches. Their dismal campaign left them languishing second from bottom in the standings. Toulouse are in mid-table and had nothing to play for on the final day.

(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Football

Soccer-United sign Brazil midfielder Santos from Chelsea
Soccer-Argentina's Dybala signs new Roma deal until 2027
Soccer-New Liverpool boss Iraola says club need more signings ahead of new season
Football critic beaten up at petrol station in PJ
Soccer-Strasbourg appoint Oliveira as head coach following O'Neil's departure
Soccer-Dallas pitch ready for last hurrah after nine matches and years of research
Soccer-France put past behind them as history beckons against Spain
Soccer-Messi set for long-awaited first England clash in World Cup semi-final
Soccer-Bellingham's brilliance outweighs brief disagreement with Tuchel
Soccer-Dallas talent factory confident World Cup will deliver development dividend

Others Also Read