With AS Monaco, Denis Zakaria wants to challenge serial champion Paris Saint-Germain around Ousmane Dembélé more than last season
Image: Keystone
Ulisses Garcia has been playing in Marseille for a year and a half
Image: Keystone
Stuttgart did not exercise the option to buy Fabian Rieder
Image: Keystone
Felix Mambimbi is another former YB player trying his luck in Ligue 1
Image: Keystone
With AS Monaco, Denis Zakaria wants to challenge serial champion Paris Saint-Germain around Ousmane Dembélé more than last season
Image: Keystone
Ulisses Garcia has been playing in Marseille for a year and a half
Image: Keystone
Stuttgart did not exercise the option to buy Fabian Rieder
Image: Keystone
Felix Mambimbi is another former YB player trying his luck in Ligue 1
Image: Keystone
Turbulence at the Champions League winners, financial worries and the uncertain situation of the Swiss legionnaires: the new Ligue 1 season begins on Friday with many questions.
15.08.2025, 07:50
SDA
The worst thing to speculate about is the next champion. Everything points to another triumph for Paris Saint-Germain. The Champions League winners have as much money at their disposal in the coming season as the next five clubs in the list of Ligue 1's richest, which only just includes the most ambitious promoted team, Paris FC, controlled by Louis Vuitton boss Bernard Arnault and Red Bull.
The gap between PSG and the rest is widening, partly because, unlike other top European leagues, TV revenues have been falling for several seasons. The league reacted radically to the problems with its most important source of income this summer and launched its own TV channel. The success of "Ligue 1+" will be decisive for French club football.
With Lyon, the serial champions from 2002 to 2008 only narrowly escaped relegation. Within just a few years, the American-owned club had used up its once ample reserves. According to the responsible supervisory authority DNCG, the operating loss of all Ligue 1 clubs amounted to over one billion euros last season, with an accumulated debt of 400 million euros remaining after transfers.
Donnarumma no longer wanted
Paris Saint-Germain is also in the red, but can easily cope with this thanks to its Qatari owners. From a sporting point of view, the Champions League winners can only be down on themselves nationally. In recent days, it has shown that it is still susceptible to internal squabbles even after the departures of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. The recently celebrated goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is no longer wanted after Lucas Chevalier, his successor, has already been signed for 40 million euros. The abrupt demotion of the Italian, who is also highly regarded by his teammates, is unlikely to go down well in the dressing room.
Among the teams that could be ready should PSG fall off the pace in the league are the other French Champions League participants, Olympique Marseille with Ulisses Garcia and AS Monaco with Denis Zakaria, Breel Embolo and Philipp Köhn. Of this Swiss quartet, only Zakaria is guaranteed a regular place. With the signings of Paul Pogba and Ansu Fati, the squad of Adi Hütter-trained Monaco has become even more spectacular.
Fabian Rieder's next attempt
Fabian Rieder and Felix Mambimbi are the other Swiss players hoping to play a good role this season. Rieder has returned to Rennes after his unsuccessful intermezzo in Stuttgart and is making another attempt to gain a foothold abroad in the Breton side's heavily reshaped squad. In the last test match before the start of the championship on Friday at home against Marseille, the Bernese was part of the starting line-up. Rieder's former YB team-mate Mambimbi is expected to fight against relegation in Le Havre.
Ruben Londja is the second Swiss currently in the Le Havre squad. However, the 19-year-old is likely to be loaned out. Vincent Sierro, most recently captain of Toulouse, is about to move to Saudi Arabia after two and a half years in Ligue 1.
The statistics for the new season:
1st round. Friday, August 15: Rennes - Marseille. - Saturday, August 16: Lens - Lyon, Monaco - Le Havre, Nice - Toulouse. - Sunday, August 17: Brest - Lille, Angers - Paris FC, Metz - Strasbourg, Auxerre - Lorient, Nantes - Paris Saint-Germain.
The Swiss Ligue 1 players (7): Breel Embolo (Monaco), Ulisses Garcia (Marseille), Philipp Köhn (Monaco), Felix Mambimbi (Le Havre), Fabian Rieder (Rennes), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Vincent Sierro (Toulouse/before transfer).
How it was in 2024/25. Champions: Paris Saint-Germain. - Champions League: Marseille (2nd), Monaco (3rd), Nice (4th/qualification). - Europa League: Lille (5th), Lyon (6th) - Conference League: Strasbourg (7th) - Relegated: Reims (17th/barrage), Saint-Etienne (19th), Montpellier (20th). - Promoted: Lorient (1st), Paris FC (2nd), Metz (3rd/promotion play-off). - Top scorer: Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) 21 goals - Cup winner: Paris Saint-Germain.
