2011–12 Ligue 1
The 2011–12 Ligue 1 season was the 74th since its establishment. Lille were the defending champions. The league schedule was announced on 31 March 2011 and the fixtures were determined on 10 June. The season began on 6 August 2011 and ended on 20 May 2012. The winter break was in effect from 22 December 2011 to 14 January 2012.
| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 August 2011 – 20 May 2012 |
| Champions | Montpellier 1st Ligue 1 title 1st French title |
| Relegated | Caen Dijon Auxerre |
| Champions League | Montpellier Paris Saint-Germain Lille |
| Europa League | Lyon Bordeaux Marseille |
| Matches played | 380 |
| Goals scored | 956 (2.52 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Olivier Giroud Nenê (21 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Paris Saint-Germain 6–1 Sochaux (22 April 2012) |
| Biggest away win | Dijon 1–5 Rennes (7 August 2011) Sochaux 2–6 Rennes (21 September 2011) |
| Highest scoring | Lille 4–5 Bordeaux (12 February 2012) |
| Longest winning run | 6 games Paris Saint-Germain (21 September – 29 October) Bordeaux (21 April - 20 May) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 17 games Lille (20 August – 21 December) |
| Longest winless run | 13 games Sochaux (20 November – 3 March) Marseille (5 February - 27 April) |
| Longest losing run | 5 games Marseille (26 February – 17 March) Dijon (7 April - 3 May) |
| Highest attendance | 46,252 – Paris Saint-Germain 2–1 Marseille (8 April 2012) |
| Lowest attendance | 5,125 – Ajaccio 2–2 Caen (10 September 2011) |
| Average attendance | 18,554 |
← 2010–11 2012–13 → | |
On 20 May 2012, the final day of the league season, Montpellier clinched its first-ever league title after defeating Auxerre 2–1 at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps. Montpellier was the fifth different club to win Ligue 1 since the 2006–07 season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history. Paris Saint-Germain and Lille were the country's other Champions League participants, while Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille represented France in the UEFA Europa League. Lyon did not participate in UEFA's top football club competition for the first time in 12 years.
Auxerre, Dijon, and Caen were relegated to Ligue 2. Auxerre returned to the second division after 32 consecutive years playing in Ligue 1. Prior to the 2011–12 season, the club had never suffered relegation from the country's top division. Dijon returned to the second division after only one season in Ligue 1, while Caen fell to the second tier after two years in the first division.