2017–18 Ligue 2

The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2 and the Championnat National 2, the fourth division of French football.

The Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG) is the organization responsible for monitoring and overseeing the accounts of professional association football clubs in France. It was founded in 1984 and is an administrative directorate of the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP). The current president of the DNCG is Richard Olivier. In December 2007, French State Secretary for Sports Bernard Laporte claimed that the DNCG should be a Europe-wide body to create equality throughout the continent. However, the idea was later dismissed as being too complicated to implement.

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux, commonly referred to as La Berrichonne or simply Châteauroux, is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1916. The team currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. The club has played only one season in Ligue 1; the 1997–98 season.

Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, following promotion from Ligue 2 in the 2019–20 season. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade Yves Allainmat, named after the former mayor of Lorient. The stadium is surnamed Stade du Moustoir because of its location within the city. The team is managed by Régis Le Bris.

Amiens Sporting Club is a French association football club based in the northern city of Amiens in the Hauts-de-France region. The club was formed in 1901 and play in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. The club plays its home matches at the Stade de la Licorne located within the city. The 2017–18 Ligue 1 season was the first in the club's 116-year history, where they finished in 13th place to secure a position in Ligue 1 for the following year. Amiens have never won a major trophy.

Athletic Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1. The club president is Christian Leca, and the first-team is coached by manager Olivier Pantaloni, following the sacking of Christian Bracconi in October 2014. Ajaccio play their home matches at the Stade François Coty and are rivals with fellow Corsican club Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby.

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier and captained by midfielder Birama Touré.

Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. The Stade des Antonins is the club’s home stadium.

Athletic Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1. The club president is Christian Leca, and the first-team is coached by manager Olivier Pantaloni, following the sacking of Christian Bracconi in October 2014. Ajaccio play their home matches at the Stade François Coty and are rivals with fellow Corsican club Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby.

Le Havre Athletic Club is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The football club was founded in 1894 as a section of the sports club of the same name, founded in 1884.

Clermont Foot 63 is a French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and the current club was created in 1990 as a result of a merger.

Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, following promotion from Ligue 2 in the 2019–20 season. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade Yves Allainmat, named after the former mayor of Lorient. The stadium is surnamed Stade du Moustoir because of its location within the city. The team is managed by Régis Le Bris.

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux, commonly referred to as La Berrichonne or simply Châteauroux, is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1916. The team currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. The club has played only one season in Ligue 1; the 1997–98 season.

Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, after having finished 18th and being relegated from Ligue 1 in the 2013–14 season. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal, located within the city.

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier and captained by midfielder Birama Touré.

Chamois Niortais Football Club is a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of western France. It was founded in 1925 by Charles Boinot, the son of the owner of a local chamois leather factory. The club's home stadium is the Stade René Gaillard in Niort, which has a capacity of 10,898 although in the last 20 years attendances have generally averaged below 5,000 per match due to the club's relatively small fan base. Chamois Niortais has traditionally played in an entirely blue home strip, although away strips regularly differ.

Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec, was a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1910, Gazélec played one season of Ligue 1 in 2015–16 and was dissolved in 2023.

Football Bourg-en-Bresse Péronnas 01 is a French association football team founded in 1942. They are based in Bourg-en-Bresse, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, and play in Championnat National, the third tier of the French football league system. They play at the Stade Marcel-Verchère in Bourg-en-Bresse, which has a capacity of 11,400.

Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec, was a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1910, Gazélec played one season of Ligue 1 in 2015–16 and was dissolved in 2023.

Athletic Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1. The club president is Christian Leca, and the first-team is coached by manager Olivier Pantaloni, following the sacking of Christian Bracconi in October 2014. Ajaccio play their home matches at the Stade François Coty and are rivals with fellow Corsican club Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby.

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier and captained by midfielder Birama Touré.

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux, commonly referred to as La Berrichonne or simply Châteauroux, is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1916. The team currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. The club has played only one season in Ligue 1; the 1997–98 season.

Clermont Foot 63 is a French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and the current club was created in 1990 as a result of a merger.

Le Havre Athletic Club is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The football club was founded in 1894 as a section of the sports club of the same name, founded in 1884.

Racing Club de Lens is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, les sang et or, comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their traditional rivals are their northern neighbours Lille, with whom they contest the Derby du Nord. Their most famous trophy is winning the championship in 1998.

Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, following promotion from Ligue 2 in the 2019–20 season. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade Yves Allainmat, named after the former mayor of Lorient. The stadium is surnamed Stade du Moustoir because of its location within the city. The team is managed by Régis Le Bris.

Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. The Stade des Antonins is the club’s home stadium.

Chamois Niortais Football Club is a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of western France. It was founded in 1925 by Charles Boinot, the son of the owner of a local chamois leather factory. The club's home stadium is the Stade René Gaillard in Niort, which has a capacity of 10,898 although in the last 20 years attendances have generally averaged below 5,000 per match due to the club's relatively small fan base. Chamois Niortais has traditionally played in an entirely blue home strip, although away strips regularly differ.

Paris Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris FC or simply PFC, is a French professional football club based in Paris, that competes in the Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. Paris FC play their home matches at the Stade Charléty, which is located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.

Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, after having finished 18th and being relegated from Ligue 1 in the 2013–14 season. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal, located within the city.

Athletic Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1. The club president is Christian Leca, and the first-team is coached by manager Olivier Pantaloni, following the sacking of Christian Bracconi in October 2014. Ajaccio play their home matches at the Stade François Coty and are rivals with fellow Corsican club Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby.

A penalty shoot-out is a tie-breaking method in association football to determine which team is awarded victory in a match that cannot end in a draw, when the score is tied after the normal time as well as extra time have expired. In a penalty shoot-out, each team takes turns shooting at goal from the penalty mark, with the goal defended only by the opposing team's goalkeeper. Each team has five shots which must be taken by different kickers; the team that makes more successful kicks is declared the victor. Shoot-outs finish as soon as one team has an insurmountable lead. If scores are level after five pairs of shots, the shootout progresses into additional "sudden-death" rounds. Balls successfully kicked into the goal during a shoot-out do not count as goals for the individual kickers or the team, and are tallied separately from the goals scored during normal play. Although the procedure for each individual kick in the shoot-out resembles that of a penalty kick, there are some differences. Most notably, neither the kicker nor any player other than the goalkeeper may play the ball again once it has been kicked.

Le Havre Athletic Club is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The football club was founded in 1894 as a section of the sports club of the same name, founded in 1884.

Stade Brestois 29 or simply Brest, is a French football club based in Brest. It was founded in 1950 following the merger of five local patronages, including Armoricaine de Brest, founded in 1903.

Toulouse Football Club is a French professional football club based in Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the premier division of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium de Toulouse located within the city.

Jean-Pascal Fontaine is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.

Alexandre Bonnet is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 2 club Quevilly-Rouen.

The Stade Océane is a football stadium in Le Havre, France. Its capacity is 25,178 all-seated and it is the home ground of Le Havre AC. It replaces the Stade Jules Deschaseaux as the club's home stadium. Its inauguration was 12 July 2012, with a friendly fixture between Le Havre AC and Lille.

Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very close to the Prime Meridian. Le Havre is the most populous commune of Upper Normandy, although the total population of the greater Le Havre conurbation is smaller than that of Rouen. After Reims, it is also the second largest subprefecture in France. The name Le Havre means "the harbour" or "the port". Its inhabitants are known as Havrais or Havraises.

Benoît Millot is a French football referee who officiates in Ligue 1. He has been a FIFA referee since 2014, and is ranked as a UEFA second category referee.

Ghislain Gimbert is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for amateur side FC Métropole Troyenne. In a career spanning 21 seasons to date, Gimbert has made more than 400 appearances, and scored 97 goals, in Ligue 2, with Grenoble, Tours, Libourne-Saint-Seurin, Vannes, Laval, Troyes, Le Havre and AC Ajaccio. He has played in Turkey and Belgium.

Grenoble Foot 38, commonly referred to as simply Grenoble or GF38, is a French association football club based in Grenoble. The club plays its home matches at the Stade des Alpes, a sports complex based in the heart of the city, and wears white and blue.

Football Bourg-en-Bresse Péronnas 01 is a French association football team founded in 1942. They are based in Bourg-en-Bresse, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, and play in Championnat National, the third tier of the French football league system. They play at the Stade Marcel-Verchère in Bourg-en-Bresse, which has a capacity of 11,400.

Florian Sotoca is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Lens.

Arsène Elogo Guintangui is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for French Championnat National club Le Puy as a midfielder.

Grenoble is the prefecture and largest city of the Isère department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the capital of the Dauphiné historical province and lies where the river Drac flows into the Isère at the foot of the French Alps.

Adama Sarr is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward.

Bourg-en-Bresse is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located 70 km (43 mi) northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse. In 2018, the commune had a population of 41,248.

Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. The Stade des Antonins is the club’s home stadium.

Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Mauritania lies to the south of Western Sahara. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It spans an area of 446,300 km2 (172,300 sq mi) or 710,850 km2 (274,460 sq mi), with a population of roughly 37 million. Its official and predominant religion is Islam, and the official languages are Arabic and Berber; the Moroccan dialect of Arabic and French are also widely spoken. Moroccan identity and culture is a mix of Arab, Berber, and European cultures. Its capital is Rabat, while its largest city is Casablanca.

France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. It also includes overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, giving it one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Its eighteen integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and had a total population of over 68 million as of January 2023. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, and Nice.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Crystal Palace. He has represented France internationally at U19 and U21 youth levels.

Le Havre Athletic Club is a French association football club based in Le Havre, Normandy. The football club was founded in 1894 as a section of the sports club of the same name, founded in 1884.

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Its nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages.

Chamois Niortais Football Club is a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of western France. It was founded in 1925 by Charles Boinot, the son of the owner of a local chamois leather factory. The club's home stadium is the Stade René Gaillard in Niort, which has a capacity of 10,898 although in the last 20 years attendances have generally averaged below 5,000 per match due to the club's relatively small fan base. Chamois Niortais has traditionally played in an entirely blue home strip, although away strips regularly differ.

Ludovic Ajorque is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club Mainz 05.

Clermont Foot 63 is a French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and the current club was created in 1990 as a result of a merger.

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world. It shares the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, and is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces, and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a part of Antarctica.

Pablo Alejandro Chavarría is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Segunda División club Málaga.

Centre-Val de Loire or Centre Region, as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior of the country, with a population of 2,572,853 as of 2018. Its prefecture is Orléans, and its largest city is Tours.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into effect on 1 January 2016, after the regional elections in December 2015.

Clermont Foot 63 is a French association football club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The first incarnation of the club was formed in 1911 and the current club was created in 1990 as a result of a merger.

Football Bourg-en-Bresse Péronnas 01 is a French association football team founded in 1942. They are based in Bourg-en-Bresse, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, and play in Championnat National, the third tier of the French football league system. They play at the Stade Marcel-Verchère in Bourg-en-Bresse, which has a capacity of 11,400.

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region came into existence on 1 January 2016, after the regional elections of December 2015, electing 100 members to the Regional Council of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier and captained by midfielder Birama Touré.

Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, after having finished 18th and being relegated from Ligue 1 in the 2013–14 season. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal, located within the city.

Brittany is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period of Roman occupation. It became an independent kingdom and then a duchy before being united with the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province governed as a separate nation under the crown.

Brittany is the westernmost region of Metropolitan France. It covers about four fifths of the territory of the historic province of Brittany. Its capital is Rennes. It is one of the two Regions in Metropolitan France that does not contain any landlocked departments, the other being Corsica.

Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, following promotion from Ligue 2 in the 2019–20 season. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade Yves Allainmat, named after the former mayor of Lorient. The stadium is surnamed Stade du Moustoir because of its location within the city. The team is managed by Régis Le Bris.

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the French mainland, west of the Italian Peninsula and immediately north of the Italian island of Sardinia, which is the land mass nearest to it. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island. As of January 2023, it had a population of 351,255.

Athletic Club Ajaccio, commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French association football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1. The club president is Christian Leca, and the first-team is coached by manager Olivier Pantaloni, following the sacking of Christian Bracconi in October 2014. Ajaccio play their home matches at the Stade François Coty and are rivals with fellow Corsican club Bastia, with whom they contest the Corsica derby.