Although winter is already well underway, it is with an honorary title of autumn champions that RC Lens begin 2026. After defeating Toulouse in the opening match of the 17th round of Ligue 1 (0-3), the Sang et Or are guaranteed to finish the first half of the season at the top of the French league table. A remarkable achievement by Pierre Sage’s men, who, with 40 points, now have at least a one-point lead over PSG, who host Paris FC in the Paris derby on Sunday evening.
Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, this is only the fourth time that a team other than the reigning European champions have managed to win the ‘title’. Before Lens, Marseille (2014-15), Nice (2016-17) and Lyon (2020-21) had also achieved this feat. But none of them ultimately managed to go the distance.
The question now is whether Lens will succeed and become the third team after Monaco (2016–17) and Lille (2020–21) to deprive PSG of the league title. In 2002, when Lens last won the autumn champion’s title, Les Sang et Or topped the table for 28 of the 34 league matchdays, before finally relinquishing first place to Lyon on the last game of the season.
