Due to the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ligue 1 was officially called off on April 30, reflecting the severe impact the virus had on France and other European nations. This move was recently upheld by the country's highest administrative court. The legal battle was sparked by Lyon's president, Jean-Michael Aulas, and two other teams who contested the season's premature end. Because the league stopped mid-way, Lyon found themselves relegated, whereas Amiens and Toulouse had their relegations suspended. While the Conseil d’Etat ruled that the season's cancellation was legally justified—denying Lyon's appeal—it did protect Amiens and Toulouse for the time being, instructing Ligue 1 to re-evaluate the competition format for the 2020-2021 campaign.
To resolve the issue, Amiens and Toulouse have proposed a 22-team league for the next season, openly questioning the fairness of relegation during a global crisis. The Conseil d’Etat pointed out that Ligue 1 cannot arbitrarily relegate the bottom two clubs while the FFF maintains a 20-club limit. With the current agreement with the FFF expiring on June 30, a new contract is expected soon. Both the Football League and the FFF have since accepted the court's ruling. Meanwhile, there are serious concerns regarding the massive financial losses the French league will face due to the early stoppage.
Among the seven major European leagues, Ligue 1 stood alone in deciding to cancel its season entirely. In contrast, others found ways to return: Germany's Bundesliga already restarted last month, Spain's La Liga is set for June 12, the English Premier League returns June 17, and Italy's Serie A follows on June 20. While the pandemic disrupted sports globally, the fallout in France saw PSG crowned champions, while Lyon ended up in seventh place, missing out on both the Champions League and Europa League. However, Lyon still has one narrow path to the Europa League: they could qualify if they manage to defeat PSG in the League Cup, which is one of the few competitions that wasn't cancelled.