How rugby is organised in France

Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026

French rugby has separate branches: LNR professional men's leagues, FFR federal and national women's leagues, and territorial and overseas competitions run by their own organisers. Published league and group sizes are not a complete club list.

The country structure

Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.

Senior men

Top 14 and Pro D2 are LNR professional leagues. Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1–3 are FFR federal leagues, and their promotion rules, set each season, are not shown here.

LNR professional families
Top 14 is above Pro D2. The Pro D2 pages describe a play-off match against the Nationale finalist and direct relegation to Nationale. This page does not turn those into a table rule.
FFR federal families
The 2026/27 FFR release names Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1, 2 and 3 as federal senior men's leagues.

Senior women

The national women's XV leagues named by the FFR are AXA Élite 1 Féminine, Élite 2 Féminine, Fédérale 1 Féminine and Fédérale 2 Féminine.

National women's XV families
These are kept separate from the men's federal and territorial leagues. This page does not claim one regional women's format or promotion rule.

Reserve and development

Réserves Élite, Espoirs and youth competitions are separate FFR competitions, not extra senior first-team XV levels.

Parallel families
The FFR release also names Réserves Élite, Reichel Espoirs Élite and Accession, Espoirs Nationaux and Fédéraux, plus national U18 and U16 competitions.
No parent-club inference
A team in a reserve, development or age-grade competition is not shown here as a senior first team or a club.

Territorial competition

The FFR website lists 13 mainland territorial leagues, and its published organisation lists seven overseas committees. Their competitions, results providers, phases and rules are set by each organiser, so they are not one national dataset.

Regional ownership
Regional names, pools, formats, reserve structures and phases belong to each territorial league. This page does not combine them into one national table or directory.

Separate formats

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS is an LNR professional club sevens event, separate from the men's XV leagues.

Professional sevens
The LNR's 2026/27 calendar lists qualifying stages and a final for IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS. These are event stages, not levels in the XV ladder.

Club list and history boundary

FFR's 1,977-club figure comes from a campaign announcement, not a list of every affiliated club. LNR and FFR both publish history pages, but they cover different things and do not add up to one all-France honours table.

No extra clubs added from that list
Professional entrants, federal association records, territorial directories, and overseas lists cover different things and cannot be added up into one club count.
History remains owner and family scoped
The LNR first-division list and the PRO D2 and FFR honours pages keep cancelled seasons, no-award seasons, unknown entries and name differences as they are, not recounted into club honours.

Where each competition sits

Top 14

LNR's top professional men's XV league. Its table, results, teams and season phases stay on the official website.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pro D2

LNR's second professional men's XV league. Its official pages describe the promotion and relegation link with Nationale. This page does not show that link.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Nationale

FFR's top federal men's XV league, below Pro D2. The 2025/26 season had a championship final and a separate play-off match for a place in Pro D2. This page has no complete season table or list of teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Nationale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 24 entrants in two 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 48 entrants in four 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 96 entrants in eight 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 3

A separate FFR federal men's XV league, the last before the territorial leagues. The organiser publishes 160 entrants in 16 10-team groups. This page does not copy tables, results or movement.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 1 Féminine

The top FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes 32 entrants in four groups of eight. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's competition that allows XV, XII and X formats. The competition and its final schedule are published, but this page has no complete list of groups or teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Reserves, development and youth

FFR reserve, Espoirs and youth competitions run alongside the senior first teams and are not merged with them.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Territorial rugby

Regional competitions are owned and organised by their territorial league. This page does not claim they share pools, formats or movement between leagues.

Operated by FFR territorial leagues

Promotion and relegation between competitions are unconfirmed.

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

An LNR professional club sevens event, kept outside the men's XV ladder.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pages on Frostlete

Competition

TOP 14

TOP 14 is France's leading professional men's XV competition, run by the LNR. Its 2025/26 season included regular-season, playoff and promotion or relegation matches.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 11 Aug 2026

Competition

PRO D2

The 2025/26 PRO D2 had 16 clubs playing 30 regular-season rounds before title playoffs. RC Vannes won the championship.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 12 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale

Nationale is the FFR men's XV division below PRO D2. Its 2025/26 season included a championship final and a separate PRO D2 promotion match.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 13 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale 2

Nationale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 24 teams in two groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 1 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 48 teams in four groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 96 teams in eight groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 3

Fédérale 3 is the last FFR men's XV division before the territorial leagues. The announced 2026/27 structure has 160 teams in sixteen groups of ten.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 1 Féminine is the FFR's top senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 2 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 32 teams in four groups of eight.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2 Féminine

The FFR's announced 2026/27 Fédérale 2 Féminine programme includes fifteen-, twelve- and ten-a-side women's rugby.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Clubs on this page

This page is not a complete list of French clubs. FFR's 1,977-club campaign figure is not a list of every club, and professional, federal, women's, reserve, development, territorial and overseas lists stay separate.

Official sources

FFR and LNR pages support this country page, but official websites are not linked here because the union’s published terms require permission first. Fixtures, results, tables, clubs and media stay on those pages.

LNR Top 14 official standings surface
Source record
LNR Pro D2 official standings surface
Source record
LNR 2026/27 professional calendar
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal competition families
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal calendar rollout
Source record
FFR Mon Club House competition navigation
Source record
Ligue Nationale de Rugby public website
Source record
Fédération Française de Rugby public website
Source record
FFR-LNR professional competition convention 2022–2027
Source record
FFR 2026/27 men's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 women's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 Espoirs and youth group sizes
Source record
FFR 1,977-club recruitment campaign claim
Source record
FFR interactive club finder
Source record
FFR 2025/26 association identity and lifecycle regulations
Source record
FFR overseas-committee topology observation
Source record
FFR congress overseas-committee roster
Source record
LNR men's first-division championship history
Source record
LNR PRO D2 bounded historical register
Source record

Browse country guides

How rugby is organised in France

Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026

The country structure

Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.

Senior men

Top 14 and Pro D2 are LNR professional leagues. Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1–3 are FFR federal leagues, and their promotion rules, set each season, are not shown here.

LNR professional families
Top 14 is above Pro D2. The Pro D2 pages describe a play-off match against the Nationale finalist and direct relegation to Nationale. This page does not turn those into a table rule.
FFR federal families
The 2026/27 FFR release names Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1, 2 and 3 as federal senior men's leagues.

Senior women

The national women's XV leagues named by the FFR are AXA Élite 1 Féminine, Élite 2 Féminine, Fédérale 1 Féminine and Fédérale 2 Féminine.

National women's XV families
These are kept separate from the men's federal and territorial leagues. This page does not claim one regional women's format or promotion rule.

Reserve and development

Réserves Élite, Espoirs and youth competitions are separate FFR competitions, not extra senior first-team XV levels.

Parallel families
The FFR release also names Réserves Élite, Reichel Espoirs Élite and Accession, Espoirs Nationaux and Fédéraux, plus national U18 and U16 competitions.
No parent-club inference
A team in a reserve, development or age-grade competition is not shown here as a senior first team or a club.

Territorial competition

Regional ownership
Regional names, pools, formats, reserve structures and phases belong to each territorial league. This page does not combine them into one national table or directory.

Separate formats

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS is an LNR professional club sevens event, separate from the men's XV leagues.

Professional sevens
The LNR's 2026/27 calendar lists qualifying stages and a final for IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS. These are event stages, not levels in the XV ladder.

Club list and history boundary

No extra clubs added from that list
Professional entrants, federal association records, territorial directories, and overseas lists cover different things and cannot be added up into one club count.
History remains owner and family scoped
The LNR first-division list and the PRO D2 and FFR honours pages keep cancelled seasons, no-award seasons, unknown entries and name differences as they are, not recounted into club honours.

Where each competition sits

Top 14

LNR's top professional men's XV league. Its table, results, teams and season phases stay on the official website.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pro D2

LNR's second professional men's XV league. Its official pages describe the promotion and relegation link with Nationale. This page does not show that link.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Nationale

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Nationale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 24 entrants in two 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 48 entrants in four 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 96 entrants in eight 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 3

A separate FFR federal men's XV league, the last before the territorial leagues. The organiser publishes 160 entrants in 16 10-team groups. This page does not copy tables, results or movement.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 1 Féminine

The top FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's competition that allows XV, XII and X formats. The competition and its final schedule are published, but this page has no complete list of groups or teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Reserves, development and youth

FFR reserve, Espoirs and youth competitions run alongside the senior first teams and are not merged with them.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Territorial rugby

Regional competitions are owned and organised by their territorial league. This page does not claim they share pools, formats or movement between leagues.

Operated by FFR territorial leagues

Promotion and relegation between competitions are unconfirmed.

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

An LNR professional club sevens event, kept outside the men's XV ladder.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pages on Frostlete

Competition

TOP 14

TOP 14 is France's leading professional men's XV competition, run by the LNR. Its 2025/26 season included regular-season, playoff and promotion or relegation matches.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 11 Aug 2026

Competition

PRO D2

The 2025/26 PRO D2 had 16 clubs playing 30 regular-season rounds before title playoffs. RC Vannes won the championship.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 12 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale

Nationale is the FFR men's XV division below PRO D2. Its 2025/26 season included a championship final and a separate PRO D2 promotion match.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 13 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale 2

Nationale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 24 teams in two groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 1 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 48 teams in four groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 96 teams in eight groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 3

Fédérale 3 is the last FFR men's XV division before the territorial leagues. The announced 2026/27 structure has 160 teams in sixteen groups of ten.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 1 Féminine is the FFR's top senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 2 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 32 teams in four groups of eight.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2 Féminine

The FFR's announced 2026/27 Fédérale 2 Féminine programme includes fifteen-, twelve- and ten-a-side women's rugby.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Clubs on this page

Official sources

LNR Top 14 official standings surface
Source record
LNR Pro D2 official standings surface
Source record
LNR 2026/27 professional calendar
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal competition families
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal calendar rollout
Source record
FFR Mon Club House competition navigation
Source record
Ligue Nationale de Rugby public website
Source record
Fédération Française de Rugby public website
Source record
FFR-LNR professional competition convention 2022–2027
Source record
FFR 2026/27 men's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 women's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 Espoirs and youth group sizes
Source record
FFR 1,977-club recruitment campaign claim
Source record
FFR interactive club finder
Source record
FFR 2025/26 association identity and lifecycle regulations
Source record
FFR overseas-committee topology observation
Source record
FFR congress overseas-committee roster
Source record
LNR men's first-division championship history
Source record
LNR PRO D2 bounded historical register
Source record

Browse country guides

How rugby is organised in France

Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026

The country structure

Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.

Senior men

Top 14 and Pro D2 are LNR professional leagues. Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1–3 are FFR federal leagues, and their promotion rules, set each season, are not shown here.

LNR professional families
Top 14 is above Pro D2. The Pro D2 pages describe a play-off match against the Nationale finalist and direct relegation to Nationale. This page does not turn those into a table rule.
FFR federal families
The 2026/27 FFR release names Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1, 2 and 3 as federal senior men's leagues.

Senior women

The national women's XV leagues named by the FFR are AXA Élite 1 Féminine, Élite 2 Féminine, Fédérale 1 Féminine and Fédérale 2 Féminine.

National women's XV families
These are kept separate from the men's federal and territorial leagues. This page does not claim one regional women's format or promotion rule.

Reserve and development

Réserves Élite, Espoirs and youth competitions are separate FFR competitions, not extra senior first-team XV levels.

Parallel families
The FFR release also names Réserves Élite, Reichel Espoirs Élite and Accession, Espoirs Nationaux and Fédéraux, plus national U18 and U16 competitions.
No parent-club inference
A team in a reserve, development or age-grade competition is not shown here as a senior first team or a club.

Territorial competition

Regional ownership
Regional names, pools, formats, reserve structures and phases belong to each territorial league. This page does not combine them into one national table or directory.

Separate formats

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS is an LNR professional club sevens event, separate from the men's XV leagues.

Professional sevens
The LNR's 2026/27 calendar lists qualifying stages and a final for IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS. These are event stages, not levels in the XV ladder.

Club list and history boundary

No extra clubs added from that list
Professional entrants, federal association records, territorial directories, and overseas lists cover different things and cannot be added up into one club count.
History remains owner and family scoped
The LNR first-division list and the PRO D2 and FFR honours pages keep cancelled seasons, no-award seasons, unknown entries and name differences as they are, not recounted into club honours.

Where each competition sits

Top 14

LNR's top professional men's XV league. Its table, results, teams and season phases stay on the official website.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pro D2

LNR's second professional men's XV league. Its official pages describe the promotion and relegation link with Nationale. This page does not show that link.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Nationale

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Nationale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 24 entrants in two 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 48 entrants in four 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 96 entrants in eight 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 3

A separate FFR federal men's XV league, the last before the territorial leagues. The organiser publishes 160 entrants in 16 10-team groups. This page does not copy tables, results or movement.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 1 Féminine

The top FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's competition that allows XV, XII and X formats. The competition and its final schedule are published, but this page has no complete list of groups or teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Reserves, development and youth

FFR reserve, Espoirs and youth competitions run alongside the senior first teams and are not merged with them.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Territorial rugby

Regional competitions are owned and organised by their territorial league. This page does not claim they share pools, formats or movement between leagues.

Operated by FFR territorial leagues

Promotion and relegation between competitions are unconfirmed.

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

An LNR professional club sevens event, kept outside the men's XV ladder.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pages on Frostlete

Competition

TOP 14

TOP 14 is France's leading professional men's XV competition, run by the LNR. Its 2025/26 season included regular-season, playoff and promotion or relegation matches.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 11 Aug 2026

Competition

PRO D2

The 2025/26 PRO D2 had 16 clubs playing 30 regular-season rounds before title playoffs. RC Vannes won the championship.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 12 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale

Nationale is the FFR men's XV division below PRO D2. Its 2025/26 season included a championship final and a separate PRO D2 promotion match.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 13 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale 2

Nationale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 24 teams in two groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 1 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 48 teams in four groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 96 teams in eight groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 3

Fédérale 3 is the last FFR men's XV division before the territorial leagues. The announced 2026/27 structure has 160 teams in sixteen groups of ten.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 1 Féminine is the FFR's top senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 2 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 32 teams in four groups of eight.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2 Féminine

The FFR's announced 2026/27 Fédérale 2 Féminine programme includes fifteen-, twelve- and ten-a-side women's rugby.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Clubs on this page

Official sources

LNR Top 14 official standings surface
Source record
LNR Pro D2 official standings surface
Source record
LNR 2026/27 professional calendar
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal competition families
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal calendar rollout
Source record
FFR Mon Club House competition navigation
Source record
Ligue Nationale de Rugby public website
Source record
Fédération Française de Rugby public website
Source record
FFR-LNR professional competition convention 2022–2027
Source record
FFR 2026/27 men's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 women's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 Espoirs and youth group sizes
Source record
FFR 1,977-club recruitment campaign claim
Source record
FFR interactive club finder
Source record
FFR 2025/26 association identity and lifecycle regulations
Source record
FFR overseas-committee topology observation
Source record
FFR congress overseas-committee roster
Source record
LNR men's first-division championship history
Source record
LNR PRO D2 bounded historical register
Source record

Browse country guides

How rugby is organised in France

Competition structureEurope region · Guide updated 17 Aug 2026

The country structure

Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.

Senior men

Top 14 and Pro D2 are LNR professional leagues. Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1–3 are FFR federal leagues, and their promotion rules, set each season, are not shown here.

LNR professional families
Top 14 is above Pro D2. The Pro D2 pages describe a play-off match against the Nationale finalist and direct relegation to Nationale. This page does not turn those into a table rule.
FFR federal families
The 2026/27 FFR release names Nationale, Nationale 2 and Fédérale 1, 2 and 3 as federal senior men's leagues.

Senior women

The national women's XV leagues named by the FFR are AXA Élite 1 Féminine, Élite 2 Féminine, Fédérale 1 Féminine and Fédérale 2 Féminine.

National women's XV families
These are kept separate from the men's federal and territorial leagues. This page does not claim one regional women's format or promotion rule.

Reserve and development

Réserves Élite, Espoirs and youth competitions are separate FFR competitions, not extra senior first-team XV levels.

Parallel families
The FFR release also names Réserves Élite, Reichel Espoirs Élite and Accession, Espoirs Nationaux and Fédéraux, plus national U18 and U16 competitions.
No parent-club inference
A team in a reserve, development or age-grade competition is not shown here as a senior first team or a club.

Territorial competition

Regional ownership
Regional names, pools, formats, reserve structures and phases belong to each territorial league. This page does not combine them into one national table or directory.

Separate formats

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS is an LNR professional club sevens event, separate from the men's XV leagues.

Professional sevens
The LNR's 2026/27 calendar lists qualifying stages and a final for IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS. These are event stages, not levels in the XV ladder.

Club list and history boundary

No extra clubs added from that list
Professional entrants, federal association records, territorial directories, and overseas lists cover different things and cannot be added up into one club count.
History remains owner and family scoped
The LNR first-division list and the PRO D2 and FFR honours pages keep cancelled seasons, no-award seasons, unknown entries and name differences as they are, not recounted into club honours.

Where each competition sits

Top 14

LNR's top professional men's XV league. Its table, results, teams and season phases stay on the official website.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pro D2

LNR's second professional men's XV league. Its official pages describe the promotion and relegation link with Nationale. This page does not show that link.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Nationale

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Nationale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 24 entrants in two 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 48 entrants in four 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2

A separate FFR federal men's XV league. The organiser publishes 96 entrants in eight 12-team groups. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 3

A separate FFR federal men's XV league, the last before the territorial leagues. The organiser publishes 160 entrants in 16 10-team groups. This page does not copy tables, results or movement.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 1 Féminine

The top FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Élite 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's XV league. The organiser publishes one 10-team group. This page shows the competition shape only. Fixtures, results and promotion stay on the FFR pages.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Fédérale 2 Féminine

A separate FFR-owned senior women's competition that allows XV, XII and X formats. The competition and its final schedule are published, but this page has no complete list of groups or teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Reserves, development and youth

FFR reserve, Espoirs and youth competitions run alongside the senior first teams and are not merged with them.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby

Territorial rugby

Regional competitions are owned and organised by their territorial league. This page does not claim they share pools, formats or movement between leagues.

Operated by FFR territorial leagues

Promotion and relegation between competitions are unconfirmed.

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

An LNR professional club sevens event, kept outside the men's XV ladder.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Pages on Frostlete

Competition

TOP 14

TOP 14 is France's leading professional men's XV competition, run by the LNR. Its 2025/26 season included regular-season, playoff and promotion or relegation matches.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 11 Aug 2026

Competition

PRO D2

The 2025/26 PRO D2 had 16 clubs playing 30 regular-season rounds before title playoffs. RC Vannes won the championship.

Operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby · Checked 12 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale

Nationale is the FFR men's XV division below PRO D2. Its 2025/26 season included a championship final and a separate PRO D2 promotion match.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 13 Aug 2026

Competition

Nationale 2

Nationale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 24 teams in two groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 1 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 48 teams in four groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 2 is an FFR men's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 96 teams in eight groups of twelve.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 3

Fédérale 3 is the last FFR men's XV division before the territorial leagues. The announced 2026/27 structure has 160 teams in sixteen groups of ten.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 1 Féminine is the FFR's top senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Élite 2 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV league. Its announced 2026/27 structure has one group of ten teams.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine is an FFR senior women's XV competition. The announced 2026/27 structure has 32 teams in four groups of eight.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Competition

Fédérale 2 Féminine

The FFR's announced 2026/27 Fédérale 2 Féminine programme includes fifteen-, twelve- and ten-a-side women's rugby.

Operated by Fédération Française de Rugby · Checked 17 Aug 2026

Clubs on this page

Official sources

LNR Top 14 official standings surface
Source record
LNR Pro D2 official standings surface
Source record
LNR 2026/27 professional calendar
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal competition families
Source record
FFR 2026/27 federal calendar rollout
Source record
FFR Mon Club House competition navigation
Source record
Ligue Nationale de Rugby public website
Source record
Fédération Française de Rugby public website
Source record
FFR-LNR professional competition convention 2022–2027
Source record
FFR 2026/27 men's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 women's federal group sizes
Source record
FFR 2026/27 Espoirs and youth group sizes
Source record
FFR 1,977-club recruitment campaign claim
Source record
FFR interactive club finder
Source record
FFR 2025/26 association identity and lifecycle regulations
Source record
FFR overseas-committee topology observation
Source record
FFR congress overseas-committee roster
Source record
LNR men's first-division championship history
Source record
LNR PRO D2 bounded historical register
Source record

Browse country guides

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The country structure

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Where each competition sits

Top 14

Pro D2

Nationale

Nationale 2

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 3

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 2 Féminine

Reserves, development and youth

Territorial rugby

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

Pages on Frostlete

Clubs on this page

Official sources

The country structure

Senior men

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Reserve and development

Territorial competition

Separate formats

Club list and history boundary

Where each competition sits

Top 14

Pro D2

Nationale

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Fédérale 1

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 3

Élite 1 Féminine

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Fédérale 1 Féminine

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Reserves, development and youth

Territorial rugby

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

Pages on Frostlete

Clubs on this page

Official sources

The country structure

Senior men

Senior women

Reserve and development

Territorial competition

Separate formats

Club list and history boundary

Where each competition sits

Top 14

Pro D2

Nationale

Nationale 2

Fédérale 1

Fédérale 2

Fédérale 3

Élite 1 Féminine

Élite 2 Féminine

Fédérale 1 Féminine

Fédérale 2 Féminine

Reserves, development and youth

Territorial rugby

IN EXTENSO SUPERSEVENS

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