2020–21_Ligue_2
2020–21 Ligue 2
82nd season of the second-tier football league in France
The 2020–21 Ligue 2 season, also known as Ligue 2 BKT for sponsorship reasons, was the 82nd season of second-division football in France, and the 19th season since the division was rebranded as Ligue 2 from Division 2. Due to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the announcement of the start and end dates for the season was delayed. There were suggestions that the season would feature just 18 teams, as opposed to the usual 20, after France's highest administrative court overturned the relegations of Amiens and Toulouse from Ligue 1;[1] however, the relegations were reinstated by the General Assembly of the LFP with a vote on 23 June 2020.[2] The league fixtures were announced on 9 July 2020 and the league season began on 22 August 2020 and ended on 15 May 2021.[3]
Team changes
Stadia and locations
More information Club, Location ...
| Club | Location | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajaccio | Ajaccio | Stade François Coty | 10,446 |
| Amiens | Amiens | Stade de la Licorne | 12,097 |
| Auxerre | Auxerre | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps | 21,379 |
| Caen | Caen | Stade Michel d'Ornano | 21,215 |
| Chambly | Beauvais | Stade Pierre Brisson | 10,178 |
| Châteauroux | Châteauroux | Stade Gaston Petit | 17,173 |
| Clermont Foot | Clermont-Ferrand | Stade Gabriel Montpied | 11,980 |
| Dunkerque | Dunkirk | Stade Marcel-Tribut | 4,200 |
| Grenoble | Grenoble | Stade des Alpes | 20,068 |
| Guingamp | Guingamp | Stade de Roudourou | 18,378 |
| Le Havre | Le Havre | Stade Océane | 25,178 |
| Nancy | Tomblaine | Stade Marcel Picot | 20,087 |
| Niort | Niort | Stade René Gaillard | 10,886 |
| Paris FC | Paris (13th arrondissement) | Stade Charléty | 20,000 |
| Pau | Pau | Nouste Camp | 13,819 |
| Rodez | Rodez | Stade Paul-Lignon | 5,955 |
| Sochaux | Montbéliard | Stade Auguste Bonal | 20,005 |
| Toulouse | Toulouse | Stadium Municipal | 33,150 |
| Troyes | Troyes | Stade de l'Aube | 21,684 |
| Valenciennes | Valenciennes | Stade du Hainaut | 25,172 |
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Personnel and kits
More information Team, Manager ...
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Managerial changes
More information Team, Outgoing manager ...
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niort |  Franck Passi |
End of contract | 6 June 2020[4] | Pre-season | Sébastien Desabre |
16 June 2020[5] |
| Toulouse | Denis Zanko |
End of interim | 22 June 2020 | Patrice Garande |
22 June 2020[6] | |
| Guingamp | Sylvain Didot |
Sacked | 30 August 2020[7] | 15th |  Mehmed Baždarević |
30 August 2020 |
| Amiens |  Luka Elsner |
Sacked | 28 September 2020[8] | 15th | Oswald Tanchot |
16 October 2020[9] |
| Châteauroux | Nicolas Usaï |
Sacked | 13 December 2020[10] | 18th | Benoît Cauet |
1 January 2021[11] |
| Guingamp | Mehmed Baždarević |
Mutual consent | 1 February 2021[12] | 17th | Frédéric Bompard |
1 February 2021 |
| Châteauroux | Benoît Cauet |
Sacked | 10 March 2021[13] | 20th |  Marco Simone |
10 March 2021 |
| Caen | Pascal Dupraz |
Sacked | 23 March 2021[14] | 14th | Fabrice Vandeputte |
23 March 2021 |
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More information Teams, Region ...
| Teams | Region | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 |  Hauts-de-France |
Amiens, Chambly, Dunkerque and Valenciennes |
| 2 |  Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
Clermont and Grenoble |
 Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
Niort and Pau | |
 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté |
Auxerre and Sochaux | |
 Grand Est |
Nancy and Troyes | |
 Normandy |
Caen and Le Havre | |
 Occitanie |
Rodez and Toulouse | |
| 1 |  Brittany |
Guingamp |
 Centre-Val de Loire |
Châteauroux | |
 Corsica |
Ajaccio | |
 Île-de-France |
Paris FC |
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More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Troyes (C, P) | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 60 | 36 | +24 | 77 | Promotion to Ligue 1 |
| 2 | Clermont (P) | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 61 | 25 | +36 | 72 | |
| 3 | Toulouse | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 70 | Qualification to promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Grenoble | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 51 | 35 | +16 | 65 | |
| 5 | Paris FC | 38 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 53 | 37 | +16 | 64 | |
| 6 | Auxerre | 38 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 62 | |
| 7 | Sochaux | 38 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 51 | |
| 8 | Nancy | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 47 | |
| 9 | Guingamp | 38 | 10 | 17 | 11 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 47 | |
| 10 | Amiens | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 34 | 40 | −6 | 47 | |
| 11 | Valenciennes | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 50 | 59 | −9 | 47 | |
| 12 | Le Havre | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 47 | |
| 13 | Ajaccio | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 46 | |
| 14 | Pau | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 44 | |
| 15 | Rodez | 38 | 8 | 19 | 11 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 43 | |
| 16 | Dunkerque | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 34 | 47 | −13 | 41 | |
| 17 | Caen | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 34 | 49 | −15 | 41 | |
| 18 | Niort (O) | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 34 | 58 | −24 | 41 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 19 | Chambly (R) | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 38 | Relegation to Championnat National |
| 20 | Châteauroux (R) | 38 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 32 | 58 | −26 | 23 |
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Source: Ligue 2
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Fair play points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Fair play points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
More information Home \ Away, AJA ...
| Home \ Away | AJA | AMI | AUX | CAE | FCC | CHA | CLE | DUN | GRE | GUI | HAC | NAN | NIO | PFC | PAU | ROD | SOC | TFC | TRO | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajaccio | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 3–0 |
| Amiens | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| Auxerre | 5–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 6–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Caen | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Chambly | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | — | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Châteauroux | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 3–3 |
| Clermont | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 5–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Dunkerque | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Grenoble | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 4–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 5–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Guingamp | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Le Havre | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 |
| Nancy | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 1–3 |
| Niort | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| Paris FC | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Pau | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 4–3 |
| Rodez | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| Sochaux | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Toulouse | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 4–5 |
| Troyes | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 |
| Valenciennes | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–5 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — |
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Source: Ligue 2
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
A promotion play-off competition was held at the end of the season, involving the 3rd, 4th and 5th-placed teams in 2020–21 Ligue 2, and the 18th-placed team in 2020–21 Ligue 1.
The quarter-final was played on 18 May and the semi-final was played on 21 May.[15]
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||||||||||||
| 3B | Toulouse | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 4B | Grenoble | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 4B | Grenoble | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 5B | Paris FC | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 3B | Toulouse | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 18A | Nantes | 2 | 0 | 2(a) | ||||||||||||
Round 1
Round 2
More information Toulouse, 3–0 ...
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Promotion Play-offs '1st leg'
More information Toulouse, 1–2 ...
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'2nd leg'
2–2 on aggregate. Nantes won on away goals and therefore both clubs remained in their respective leagues.
A relegation play-off was held at the end of the season between the 18th-placed team of the 2020–21 Ligue 2 and the 3rd-placed team of the 2020–21 Championnat National. This was played over two legs on 19 and 22 May.[16]
More information Villefranche, 3–1 ...
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3–3 on aggregate. Niort won on away goals and therefore both clubs remained in their respective leagues.
More information Rank, Player ...
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mohamed Bayo |
Clermont | 22 |
| 2 | Mickaël Le Bihan |
Auxerre | 19 |
| 3 |  Yoann Touzghar |
Troyes | 16 |
| 4 |  Pape Ibnou Bâ |
Niort | 14 |
| Rémy Dugimont |
Auxerre | ||
 Rhys Healey |
Toulouse | ||
| 7 |  Jim Allevinah |
Clermont | 12 |
| Mickaël Biron |
Nancy | ||
 Jodel Dossou |
Clermont | ||
| 10 |  Baptiste Guillaume |
Valenciennes | 11 |
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- "Ligue 1 relegation overruled for Amiens and Toulouse but Lyon appeal dismissed". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- "LFP : l'assemblée générale vote à 74,49 % le maintien d'une Ligue 1 à vingt clubs". L'Equipe (in French). Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "les calendriers de ligue 1 uber eats et ligue 2 bkt dévoilés le Jeudi 9 Juillet". Ligue de Football Professionnel (in French). 3 July 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- "Laurent Blanc accompagné par Franck Passi dans «un projet sportif très ambitieux cet été»". Le Figaro (in French). 6 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- "Sébastien Desabre nommé entraîneur de Niort". Le Figaro (in French). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- "Garande nouvel entraîneur de Toulouse (officiel)". Le Figaro (in French). 22 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- "En Avant Guingamp. Sylvain Didot débarqué à contretemps". Ouest-France (in French). 30 August 2020.
- "Luka Elsner n'est plus l'entraîneur d'Amiens". Le Figaro (in French). 28 September 2020.
- "Amiens : Oswald Tanchot nommé entraîneur". Le Figaro (in French). 16 October 2020.
- "Châteauroux limoge son entraîneur Nicolas Usaï". Le Figaro (in French). 13 December 2020.
- "Benoît Cauet entraîneur de Châteauroux". Le Figaro (in French). 1 January 2021.
- "Guingamp : Mecha Bazdarevic remercié". Le Figaro (in French). 1 February 2021.
- "Châteauroux : Benoit Cauet limogé et remplacé par Marco Simone". actufoot.com (in French). 10 March 2021.
- "Ligue 2 : Caen se sépare de son entraîneur Pascal Dupraz". Le Figaro (in French). 23 March 2021.
- "Ligue 2 : Les play-offs changent de date !" (in French). foot-national.com. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- "Le FC Villefranche affrontera les Chamois Niortais en barrage d'accession". footamateur.fr (in French). Foot Amateur. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.