The Réunion Premier League, also known as Championnat de La Réunion de football, is the top division of

football league system Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' generally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

in the

French overseas territory Overseas France (, also ) consists of 13 French territories outside Europe, mostly the remnants of the French colonial empire that remained a part of the French state under various statuses after decolonisation. Most are part of the European ...

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. The league is run and managed by the Réunionese Football League under the watch of the

French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF and 3F; or Triple F; , ) is the governing body of football in France. It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital, Paris. The FFF is a founding member of FIFA and is responsible for overseeing all aspec ...

. Réunion Premier League was created in 1950 and the most successful club is

JS Saint-Pierroise Jeunesse Sportive Saint-Pierroise (JSSP) is a French football club from Saint-Pierre, Réunion. Its most notable players are Roger Milla, from the Cameroon national football team and Jean Pierre Papin, from the France national football team. A ...

, who have won 17 league titles. The defending champions are

. The winner of the competition earns a berth in the

CAF Champions League The CAF Champions League, known for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and formerly the African Cup of Champions Clubs, is an annual football club (association football), club football competition organized by the Conf ...

. In the French pyramid system, the Réunion Premier League is positioned in the Division d'Honneur, the sixth level of

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the natio ...

. The league has produced several professional

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

players, as well as players who have gone on to have successful careers abroad. Players such as Jean-Pierre Bade, Guillaume Hoarau,

Florent Sinama Pongolle Florent Stéphane Sinama Pongolle (born 20 October 1984) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was signed at only 16 by Liverpool, but could never impose himself in the first team. He also spent several seasons ...

Dimitri Payet Dimitri Payet (; born 29 March 1987) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. A set-piece specialist known for his accurate, Curl (football), bending Direct free kick, free kicks, he primari ...

, and Jean-Pascal Fontaine all began their careers on the island before achieving success abroad.

Competition format

There are 14 clubs in the Réunion Premier League. During the course of a season, usually from March to November, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 26 games. Like all other amateur leagues in France, the league operates using a 4–2–1 points system meaning four points for a win, two for a draw, and one for a defeat. If points are equal following the season, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated to second division and the top two teams from the second division are promoted in their place. The Réunionese Football League runs the Coupe de la Réunion, which is the national cup of the territory. The organization also runs a

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

cup competition that is independent to the Coupe de la Réunion. The Coupe de France competition serves as qualifying rounds for the actual Coupe de France. The competition usually lasts six rounds and the winner of the competition qualifies for the 7th round of the Coupe de France.

Premier League Clubs 2016

Previous winners

Performance by club

Top goalscorers

;Most time goalscorers: * 4 times. ** Jean-Michel Fontaine (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

All-times top scorers

All-time appearances

Multiple hat-tricks

External links

RSSSF competition history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reunion Premier League Football competitions in Réunion Top-level football leagues in Africa Football leagues in Overseas France Sports leagues established in 1950 1950 establishments in Réunion