Welcome back to Ligue 1, Troyes!

ESTAC Troyes secured their return to Ligue 1 on Saturday evening with a commanding 3-0 victory over AS Saint-Étienne at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The result guarantees a top-two finish for the club from the Aube, who hold a seven-point lead over third place with just two matches remaining. After a balanced opening period, Troyes made the difference after the break. Merwan Ifnaoui opened the scoring in the 53rd minute, before Tawfik Bentayeb doubled the lead late on with his 18th goal of the season. Detourbet added a third in stoppage time to complete a comprehensive away win.

Relegated from Ligue 1 in 2022–23, Troyes endured a difficult following campaign and were initially set for a second successive relegation before administrative developments involving AC Ajaccio ensured their place in Ligue 2. A 12th-place finish last season laid the groundwork for this campaign.

Troyes have picked up 64 points from 32 Ligue 2 matches this season (W18 D7 L6), their second-best tally at this stage of a campaign under the three-points-for-a-win system, behind only their 2014–15 title-winning season (63). This promotion is their seventh to Ligue 1 in the single-table era, a joint record alongside FC Metz.