French football is taking another step toward restructuring its pyramid, as the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and the French Football Federation have reached an agreement to broadcast the upcoming Ligue 3 through Ligue 1+.
The deal, reported by L’Équipe and still pending final signature, would run for three seasons until 2029 and mirrors similar models seen elsewhere in Europe, where domestic leagues have begun integrating lower-division content into centralized streaming ecosystems.
A new professional tier for French football
The planned Ligue 3 represents a major restructuring of France’s football pyramid, positioned as a fully professionalized third division under the leadership of the FFF.
The league is expected to feature 18 clubs and aims to bridge the financial and competitive gap between professional and semi-professional football in France — a long-standing structural issue in the system.
Shared investment, shared risk
Under the framework being discussed, the LFP would take responsibility for production costs and pay a modest fee, while the federation has already allocated around €11 million to support the launch phase.
That funding will be used to cover key structural costs including:
- Player registration and contracts
- Travel and operational expenses
- Financial assistance for relegated clubs
The aim is to reduce the instability that has historically affected clubs dropping out of the professional tiers, where financial collapse or disappearance has been a recurring risk.
Digital distribution at the core
By placing Ligue 3 on Ligue 1+, French football is betting on centralized digital distribution to maximize visibility and audience reach.
The model reflects a broader European trend of leagues controlling more of their media rights directly, while using streaming platforms to consolidate content from multiple divisions under one brand.
A European parallel
The structure closely resembles the approach taken in Spain, where LaLiga partnered with the Spanish federation to distribute lower-tier football through its own streaming ecosystem, reinforcing a shared strategy: turning lower divisions into scalable media assets rather than fragmented competitions.
A strategic reset for the pyramid
If finalized, the agreement would mark a significant shift in French football governance — not just expanding professional structure, but also redefining how lower-league football is packaged, distributed and monetized.
In short, Ligue 3 is not only a new competition. It is a new media product.