Dailysports News Football news For the first time in 35 years. Only Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams will play in the round of 16 of the French Cup

For the first time in 35 years. Only Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams will play in the round of 16 of the French Cup

It hasn’t happened in a long time.

Football news 13 jan 2026, 17:57

Miguel Solomons Dailysports's expert

For the first time in 35 years. Only Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 teams will play in the round of 16 of the French Cup

Photo: https://x.com/ParisFC

The round of 32 in the French Cup has concluded, and the 16 teams advancing to the next stage have been revealed. A historic moment has already occurred.

Details: According to Opta, for the first time since 1991, only teams from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 will feature in the round of 16 of the French Cup. This marks the first occurrence in the tournament’s history in the past 35 years. Ten teams from France’s top division and six from the second tier advanced to the next round.

16 - Les 16 clubs présents en 8es de finale de la #CoupeDeFrance cette saison évoluent intégralement en Ligue 1 + Ligue 2 (10 en L1, 6 en L2), une première dans le tournoi depuis 1991. Élite. pic.twitter.com/8hfka44UT3
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) January 13, 2026

By the way, Marseille matched one of the fastest attacking starts of the 21st century across all competitions. The only time the team achieved such a dominant lead even faster was in February 2018.

Reminder: Reigning French Cup holders PSG have already been eliminated from the tournament, losing 0–1 to their fierce rivals Paris FC.

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