France basketball leagues

Checked 2026-10-31FIBA code FRA

The men's top two divisions, Betclic ELITE and ELITE 2, are run by the professional league LNB. Below them the federation runs national championships. In 2025-26 the last team in the top division went down and the second division champion went up.

National federation: Federation Francaise de Basketball (FFBB).

Betclic ELITE

Men's tier 1. Status: Partly sourced.

Run by: Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) · Official site
Teams: Not yet verified
Season: Starts late Sep (matchday 1 on 25-27 Sep 2026) · Source
Foreign player rule: 2026-27 regulations opened show no nationality quota. A first-division club may use up to 18 professional-contract players. Locally trained status needs 4 seasons in a French club between ages 12 and 21. · Source
Promotion and relegation: 2025-26 rules: 16th placed team is relegated, 15th plays the ELITE 2 playoff winner path, ELITE 2 champion is promoted. 2026-27 rules not opened. · Source

Clubs: Not yet verified.

Ligue Feminine de Basket (LFB)

Women's tier 1. Status: Not yet verified.

Run by: Ligue Feminine de Basketball / FFBB · Official site
Teams: Not yet verified
Season: Not yet verified
Foreign player rule: Not yet verified
Promotion and relegation: Not yet verified

Clubs: Not yet verified.

ffbb.com pages mostly failed to fetch. LFB fields left null. Team count 2026-27 not stated on pages opened (2025-26 rules text listed 16 first-division teams).

Rules change each season and clubs apply them differently. Confirm any figure with the league or federation before you rely on it. This is education, not legal or tax advice. See a figure that is out of date? Send a correction with the source link.

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