Ligue 3 MD1 Round-up
The inaugural Ligue 3 season got underway on Friday. We take you through the key action from Matchday 1.
CAen 4-0 Valenciennes
Kylian Mbappé-owned SM Caen failed to get out of the third tier last season, but they have made the perfect start to the current campaign. The club showed ambition in the summer by bringing in sporting director Mathieu Bodmer, who held the same role at Ligue 1 McDonald's side Le Havre last season. The appointment of Gael Clichy as head coach also represented something of a coup for the third-tier side and they could hardly have hoped for a better start to the Ligue 3 campaign.
Une soirée de dingue à d’Ornano pour la première journée de #Ligue3Betclic 🔥
📸 Simon Morcel pic.twitter.com/iuZPtjVinv— LIGUE 3 Betclic (@ligue3betclic) August 9, 2026
Caen outclassed Valenciennes, led by veteran forward Fahd El Khoumisti, who netted a hat-trick. Mohamed Hafid netted the fourth from the penalty spot late on (4-0). Clichy's side go top of Ligue 3 on goal difference.
Bastia 0-2 Le-Put-en-Velay
Bastia, relegated from Ligue 2 BKT last season, endured a tough start to life in the third tier of French football. They succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Le-Puy-en-Velay (0-2). Michael Faty netted at the end of the first half and deep in second-half injury time, with the Corsican side pushing for an equaliser, Le-Puy-en-Velay netted their second through Marvin Emmanuel. It is a great story for Emmanuel, who, at the age of 30, signed his first professional contract earlier this month. He had previously juggled football with other jobs.
Fleury 91 0-0 Amiens
The other side relegated from Ligue 2 BKT last season, Amiens, also failed to secure victory in their first game in the third tier. They were held to a 0-0 draw away to Fleury 91. Amiens will look to return to the second tier at the first time of asking but will have to show improvement in order to do so.
Aubagne 0-3 Thionville Lusitanos
There was better luck for the promoted sides. In the most impressive result for a promoted side on Friday, Thionville Lusitanos swept aside Aubagne (0-3). Soiyir Ahamada's own goal gave the promoted side the lead in the first half before a late Jalil Moustaid secured all three points.
La roche 3-2 Versailles
La Roche, also promoted last season, edged a thriller against Versailles (3-2). Romain Basque gave Versailles an early lead but Mansour Samb then ran riot, netting a 27-minute hat-trick that would ultimately decide the game, despite the away side halving the deficit just after the hour mark through Artur Zakharyan.
FC Rouen 0-0 Cannes
Upon their return to the third tier, Cannes couldn't get the victory away to FC Rouen (0-0). Mathieu Chabert's side were promoted from the National 2 last season and will look to reclimb the French football pyramid, having been a giant back in the 90's, with Zinédine Zidane notably coming through. A year of consolidation may be in store for Cannes, who avoid defeat on Matchday 1.
Other Results:
Bourg-en-Bresse 3-2 Villefranche
Paris 13 Atletico 1-0 Quevilly-Rouen
Concarneau 0-2 Orléans
READ MORE
