Championnat National U19

The Championnat National U19 is the highest tier of under-19 football in France. Organized by the French Football Federation, it is contested by 56 clubs that are split into 4 groups.

History
In 2009, the Championnat National 18 ans of France was renamed Championnat National U19. Before the 18 ans league, a U17 (moins de 17 ans then 17 ans) league existed from 1990 to 2002. The Championnat National U19 became the continuation of the now-disappeared -17 ans and 18 ans leagues. On the other hand, the Championnat National U17 is a continuation of the former moins de 15 ans league from 1990 to 2002 and 16 ans league from 2002 to 2009.

Format
The Championnat National U19 is played annually and is contested by 56 clubs, with 55 coming from France and 1 from Monaco. The teams are divided into 4 geographically-determined groups of 14 teams. A season begins in the end of summer and ends in the following spring. In the league phase, every team plays each other twice (home and away) in their respective groups for a total of 26 games played per team. Afterwards, the first and second place teams of each group face off in a play-off phase. The winner of the final is crowned French under-19 champion.

European qualification
Since 2015, the winner of the Championnat National U19 has qualified for the UEFA Youth League. In a separate path, 2–3 youth teams of Ligue 1 clubs qualified for the UEFA Champions League qualify for the Youth League as well.

2021–22 season
For the 2021–22 season, 56 clubs participated in the Championnat National U19.

Performances by club
Paris Saint-Germain have won the most Championnat National U19 titles, with five. They are followed by Lyon, Nantes, Bordeaux, and Rennes, who all have three titles, while Auxerre and Cannes both have two. The title was not awarded for the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.