Elite 1 (rugby league)

Elite 1
Founded2002; 22 years ago (2002)
Country France
Number of teams10
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toElite 2
Domestic cup(s)Lord Derby Cup
Current champions AS Carcassonne (2023-2024)
Most championships AS Carcassonne (13)
TV partnersviàOccitanie, Sport en France
WebsiteOfficial site
Current: Elite One Championship 2023–2024

Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worldwide. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final. The competition is the continuation of the French Rugby League Championship, which began in 1934.[1]

The league is generally regarded as the third most important domestic championship in the world, behind Australia's National Rugby League and the United Kingdom's Super League, and ahead of the NZRL National Competition, PNGNRL, Balkan Super League and Rhino Cup.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Championnat Elite 1". Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.