LNH Division 1, doing business as Starligue and currently known as Liqui Moly Starligue for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
league in France. It is administered by the
Ligue Nationale de Handball The Ligue Nationale de Handball ( en, National Handball League) is a governing body established in 2004 to administer French men's professional team handball, handball autonomously from the French Handball Federation, national federation (FFHB). It ...
, under delegation from the
French Handball Federation. Founded in 1952, it is currently contested by 16 teams.
Montpellier Handball is the most successful club with 14 titles, and the club which won the most consecutive titles is
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As ...
with 8 between 2015 and 2022.
The champion and the vice-champion are directly qualified for the group phase of the
EHF Champions League
The Men's EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men ...
. The winners of the
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional ...
and the
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, ...
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
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, wh ...
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
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
). It was succeeded in 2021 by lubricant manufacturer
Liqui Moly
Liqui Moly GmbH is a German company specializing in oils, lubricants and additives. As of January 1, 2018, Liqui Moly is part of the Würth Group which bought the remaining shares of the previous majority holder and CEO Ernst Prost. He now is t ...
.
Clubs
2022–23 Teams
2020-21 Teams
Results:
*
US Ivry
Union Sportive d'Ivry are a French multi-sports club based in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne. The club is primarily known for its football team and handball team. US Ivry play their home matches at the Stade Clerville, which seats 2,000 spectators ...
&
Tremblay Handball
*
Saran Loiret HB &
Grand Nancy MHB
----
2021-22 Teams
Results:
*
Saran Loiret HB &
Grand Nancy MHB
*
US Ivry
Union Sportive d'Ivry are a French multi-sports club based in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne. The club is primarily known for its football team and handball team. US Ivry play their home matches at the Stade Clerville, which seats 2,000 spectators ...
&
Sélestat Alsace HB
----
Winners
Performance by club
Statistics
EHF coefficients
The following data indicates
French coefficient rankings between European handball leagues.
;Country ranking:
EHF League Ranking for 2022/23 season:
*1. (''1'') Handball-Bundesliga (145.00)
*2. (''3'')
Liga ASOBAL
Liga Asobal is the premier professional handball league in Spain. It was founded in 1958 with the name of División de Honor, changing its name to the current name in 1990.
The Liga ASOBAL, which is played under EHF rules, currently consists of 1 ...
(121.50)
*3. (''2'') LNH Division 1 (104.33)
*4. (''5'')
Nemzeti Bajnokság I
The Nemzeti Bajnokság (, "National Championship"), also known as NB I, is the top level of the Hungarian football league system. The league is officially named OTP Bank Liga after its title sponsor OTP Bank. UEFA currently ranks the league 28th ...
(94.17)
*5. (''7'')
Håndboldligaen (87.33)
;Club ranking:
EHF Club Ranking as of 14 December 2022:
* 4.
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As ...
(540)
* 7.
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. In 2018, 290,053 people l ...
(447)
* 11.
HBC Nantes
Handball Club Nantes is a team from Nantes, France, that plays in the LNH Division 1.
Crest, colours, supporters
Naming history
Club crest
File:Logo HBCNantes 2000.GIF, Logo in the 2000s(-2011)
File:NantesLOGO.png, Official logo since 20 ...
(385)
* 28.
USAM Nîmes
The United Autonomous Unions of Madagascar (USAM) is a national trade union center in Madagascar. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); german: Internationaler ...
(175)
* 29.
Fenix Toulouse (172)
See also
* Other domestic competitions:
**
Coupe de France
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional ...
**
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, ...
**
Trophée des Champions
The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries.
Hi ...
* Handball in France:
**
LNH Division 2 (ProLigue), lower echelon of France handball
**
LFH Division 1 Féminine
LFH Division 1 Féminine, known for sponsorship reasons as Ligue Butagaz Énergie, is the premier women's handball league in France. It is overseen by the Ligue Féminine de Handball (LFH), the governing body of French women's professional handb ...
(Ligue Butagaz Énergie), the corresponding women's competition
**
LFH Division 2 Féminine (D2F)
**
List of handball clubs in France
References
External links
Official website
{{Top sport leagues in France
1
Professional sports leagues in France