{{short description|French top level rugby league competition}} {{for|the predecessor competition|French Rugby League Championship}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox sports league | name = Super XIII | sport = Rugby league | image = Super XIII.svg | logo_upright = 0.6 | country = France | other countries = | founded = {{start date and age|df=y|2002||}} | teams = 11 | promotion = | relegation = Elite 2 | levels = 1 | domestic_cup = Lord Derby Cup | league_cup = | confed_cup = | champions = Albi RL (2024-25) | most_champs = FC Lézignan (5) | tv = viàOccitanie, Sport en France | season = | website = [http://www.ffr13.fr/ Official site] | current_season = Super XIII 2025–2026 }}
'''Super XIII''' is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worldwide. The clubs play each other home and away then they enter into a play-off series culminating with a Grand Final. The competition was founded in 2002, as the '''Elite One Championship''' and renamed as Super XIII at the start of the 2024–2025 season. The competition is the continuation of the French Rugby League Championship, which began in 1934.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Championnat Elite 1 |url=https://www.ffr13.fr/competitions/elite1/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
==History== thumb|Logo for Elite 1 before the competition was renamed in 2024 Prior to the creation of Elite 1, the French Rugby League Championship was the top tier of the French rugby league system.
The competition was founded in 2002, as the Elite One Championship, following the splitting of the French Rugby League Championship into two divisions. The format stayed the same with teams playing each other home and away, before a play-off series would determine the Champions. The club finishing bottom would not be automatically relegated, it would be dependent on whether the club finishing top of Elite Two Championship either wanted to be promoted or their facilities were up to standard.
The 2002–03 season, the first of the Elite 1 championship, saw the defending champions of France, Villeneuve, up against Saint-Gaudens in the final. Villeneuve had won the league championship in 2000–01 and completed a league/cup double in 2001–2002. Having already won the Lord Derby Cup in 2003, they achieved a second consecutive double with a 31–18 win to retain the Max Rousié Trophy. Their opponents, Saint-Gaudens, had not won a championship since the early 1990s, but the following season they defeated Union Treiziste Catalane 14–10 to claim the title and in doing so prevent UTC from claiming the double.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffr13.com/ |title=All in Narbonne on May 25, 2003 |website=www.ffr13.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030528065849/http://www.ffr13.com:80/ |archive-date=28 May 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffr13.com/ |title=The Saint Gaudens surprise |website=www.ffr13.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040730112618/http://www.ffr13.com:80/ |archive-date=30 July 2004}}</ref> That achievement would come for UTC the following year as they went undefeated throughout the 2004–05 season and beat Toulouse 66–16 in the championship final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ffr13.com/ |title=Historical |website=www.ffr13.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050814080502/http://www.ffr13.com/ |archive-date=14 August 2005}}</ref> The following two seasons saw Pia claim consecutive doubles.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://treizemondial.fr/palmares-coupe-de-france-lord-derby/|title=Lord Derby French Cup Honours |website=Treize Mondial |access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref><ref name=TMchart/> In the 2007–08 season Lézignan began a run of four consecutive title wins becoming only the second club, after Catalan in the early 1980s, to achieve this feat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/191/fc-lezignan-double-winners-in-france |title=FC Lezignan double winners in France |website=European Rugby League |date=15 May 2011 |access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref>
The competition was renamed as Super XIII at the start of the 2024–2025 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://treizemondial.fr/le-calendrier-super-xiii-elite-1-saison-2024-2025-avec-11-equipes/ |title=The Super XIII (Elite 1) season 2024-2025 calendar with 11 teams |website=Treize Mondial |date=19 July 2024 |access-date=24 September 2024}}</ref> In September 2024, the president of the French Rugby League Federation, {{Interlanguage link|Dominique Baloup|fr}}, gave an interview published in La Dépêche in which he discussed plans to increase the number of teams in the Super XIII and the possibility of moving the season to run between February and September from 2026.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/2024/09/19/entretien-rugby-a-xiii-competition-franco-anglaise-matchs-de-lequipe-de-france-elections-internes-les-projets-du-president-de-la-fede-12206199.php |title=MAINTENANCE. Rugby League: Franco-English competition, matches of the France team, internal elections... The projects of the president of the federation |newspaper=La Dépêche |date=19 September 2024 |access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref> {{clear}}
== Teams for 2025–26 season == {{Location map+|France Occitanie|width=325|caption=Location of teams participating in Super XIII in the 2025–26 season{{efn|All teams are located inside Occitania except Sporting Olympique Avignon and Villeneuve XIII RLLG which are just located outside the region.}} |places= {{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.93 |long= 2.15 |position = left |label=Albi}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.95 |long= 4.81 |position = left |label=Avignon}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.21 |long= 2.35 |position = left |label={{nowrap|Carcassonne}}}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.20 |long= 2.76 |position = right |label=Lézignan}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.01 |long= 2.22 |position = bottom |label=Limoux}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 42.75 |long= 2.92 |position = right |label=Pia}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 42.71 |long= 2.84 |position = bottom |label=Saint-Estève}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.11 |long= 0.72 |position = left |label=Saint-Gaudens}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 43.63 |long= 1.44 |position = right |label=Toulouse}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 44.35 |long= 2.03 |position = right |label=Villefranche}}
{{Location map~|France Occitanie|lat= 44.41 |long= 0.71 |position = right |label=Villeneuve}} |float=right}}
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 60%" |- ! colspan="4" | Super XIII |- !width=25%|Team !width=20%|Stadium !width=28%|Location |- | {{League icon|albi|16}} Albi RL | Stade Mazicou | Albi, Tarn |- | {{League icon|Avignon|16}} SO Avignon | Parc des Sports (Avignon) | Avignon, Vaucluse |- | {{League icon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne | Stade Albert Domec | Carcassonne, Aude |- | {{League icon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan | Stade du Moulin | Lézignan-Corbières, Aude |- | {{League icon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies | Stade de l'Aiguille |Limoux, Aude |- | {{league icon|pia|16}} Pia XIII |Stade Daniel-Ambert |Pia, Pyrénées-Orientales |- | {{League icon|saint-esteve catalan|16}} Saint-Estève Catalan | Stade Municipal | Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales |- | {{League icon|saint-gaudens|16}} Saint-Gaudens Bears | Stade Jules Ribet | Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne |- | {{League icon|Toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique Broncos | Stade des Minimes | Toulouse, Haute-Garonne |- | {{League icon|Villefranche|16}} Villefranche XIII Aveyron | Stade Henri Lagarde | Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron |- | {{League icon|villeneuve|16}} Villeneuve Leopards | Stade Max Rousie | Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Lot-et-Garonne |} {{clear}}
==Results== {{for|previous winners|French Rugby League Championship}} {{table alignment}} {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders defaultleft col3center col6right" |- ! Year ! Winners ! Score ! Runners-up ! Venue ! Attendance |- !scope=row| 2002–03 |'''{{Leagueicon|villeneuve|16}} {{nowrap|Villeneuve Leopards}}''' || 31 – 18 || {{Leagueicon|saint-gaudens|16}} {{nowrap|Saint-Gaudens Bears}} || Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne || 8,000 |- !scope=row| 2003–04 |'''{{Leagueicon|saint-gaudens|16}} Saint-Gaudens Bears''' || 14 – 10 || {{leagueicon|utc|16}} Union Treiziste Catalane || Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan || 7,500 |- !scope=row| 2004–05 |'''{{leagueicon|utc|16}} Union Treiziste Catalane''' || 66 – 16 ||{{leagueicon|toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique XIII || Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne || 5,000 |- !scope=row| 2005–06 |{{leagueicon|pia|16}} '''Pia XIII''' || 21 – 18 || {{leagueicon|toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique XIII || Stade des Minimes, Toulouse || 5,462 |- !scope=row| 2006–07 |{{leagueicon|pia|16}} '''Pia XIII''' || 20 – 16 || {{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan || Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers || 7,882 |- !scope=row| 2007–08 |'''{{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan''' || 26 – 16 || {{leagueicon|pia|16}} Pia XIII || Stade de la Mediterranee, Béziers || 8,233<ref>{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528131941/http://www.ffr13.com/1-14317-Detail-d-une-actualite.php?Id=446 |title=18-05-2008 - Lézignan-Corbières nouveau champion de France |date=28 May 2008}} ''FFRXIII''</ref> |- !scope=row| 2008–09 |'''{{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan''' || 40 – 32 || {{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies || Stade Albert Domec, Carcassonne || 11,263 |- !scope=row| 2009–10 |'''{{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan''' || 32 – 22 || {{leagueicon|pia|16}} Pia XIII || Altrad Stadium, Montpellier || 6,612 |- !scope=row| 2010–11 |'''{{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan''' || 17 – 12 || {{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies || Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne || 11,874 |- !scope=row| 2011–12 |'''{{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne''' || 26 – 20 || {{leagueicon|pia|16}} Pia XIII || Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne || 8,980 |- !scope=row| 2012–13 |'''{{leagueicon|pia|16}} Pia XIII''' || 33 – 26 || {{Leagueicon|saint-esteve catalan|16}} Saint-Estève Catalan || Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan || 6,732 |- !scope=row| 2013–14 |'''{{leagueicon|toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique XIII''' || 38 – 12 || {{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan || Stade Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan || 7,245 |- !scope=row| 2014–15 |'''{{leagueicon|toulouse|16}} Toulouse Olympique XIII''' || 20 – 12 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Stade Michel-Bendichou, Colomiers || 5,800 |- !scope=row| 2015–16 |'''{{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies''' || 26 – 24 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Stadium municipal d'Albi, Albi || 5,420 |- !scope=row| 2016–17 |'''{{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies''' || 24 – 22 || {{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan|| {{nowrap|Parc des sports et de l'amitié, Narbonne}} || 8,270 |- !scope=row| 2017–18 | '''{{Leagueicon|Avignon|16}} Sporting Olympique Avignon''' || 30 – 28 || {{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies|| Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi || 5,000 |- !scope=row| 2018–19 |'''{{Leagueicon|saint-esteve catalan|16}} Saint-Estève Catalan''' || 32 – 24 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Stadium municipal d’Albi, Albi || 1,500 |- !scope=row|2019–20 |align="center" colspan="5" |Competition abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France<ref>{{cite web | url =https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby-a-xiii/Actualites/Coronavirus-la-federation-francaise-met-fin-aux-competitions-de-rugby-a-xiii-cette-saison/1127338 | title =Coronavirus : la Fédération française met fin aux compétitions de rugby à XIII cette saison | author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> | date =15 April 2020 | website =lequipe.fr | publisher =Groupe Amaury | access-date =8 January 2022}}</ref> |- !scope=row|2020–21 |'''{{Leagueicon|Lézignan Sangliers|16}} FC Lézignan''' || 16 – 12 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse || 3,200 |- !scope=row|2021–22 |'''{{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne''' || 20 – 16 || {{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies || Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne || 8,231 |- !scope=row|2022–23 |'''{{Leagueicon|limoux|16}} Limoux Grizzlies''' || 34 – 24 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne || 8,221 |- !scope=row|2023–24 |'''{{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne''' || 8 – 6 || {{league icon|Albi|16}} Albi RL || Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne || 5,578<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ffr13.fr/elite-1-carcassonne-realise-le-double/ |title=Elite 1 : Carcassonne réalise le doublé! |publisher=FFRXIII |language=fr |date=26 May 2024 |access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref> |- !scope=row|2024–25 |'''{{league icon|Albi|16}} Albi RL''' || 26 – 16 || {{Leagueicon|Carcassonne|16}} AS Carcassonne || Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié, Narbonne || 5,191<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ffr13.fr/finale-du-super-xiii-albi-prend-sa-revanche/ |title=Finale du Super XIII – Albi prend sa revanche ! |publisher=FFRXIII |language=fr |date=25 May 2025 |access-date=26 May 2025}}</ref> |} Source: <ref name=":0" /><ref name=TMchart>{{cite web|url=https://treizemondial.fr/palmares-championnat-de-france-elite-1-rugby-a-xiii/|title= France Elite 1 Championship: Charts |website=Treize Mondial |access-date=26 May 2024}}</ref>
===Winners=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! # ||Club || No. || Year(s) |- |1|| Lézignan Sangliers||5||2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2020–21 |- | rowspan="3" |2|| Pia XIII|| rowspan="3" |3||2005–06, 2006–07, 2012–13 |- |AS Carcassonne||2011–12, 2021–22, 2023–24 |- |Limoux Grizzlies||2015–16, 2016–17, 2022–23 |- |5||Toulouse Olympique||2||2013–14, 2014–15 |- | rowspan="6" |6||Villeneuve Leopards ||rowspan="6" |1||2002–03 |- |Saint-Gaudens Bears||2003–04 |- |Union Treiziste Catalane||2004–05 |- |SO Avignon||2017–18 |- |Saint-Esteve XIII Catalan||2018–19 |- |Albi RL||2024–25 |}
== Media coverage ==
=== Television === Unlike, for instance, the BBC, France Television didn't offer any program to the French public about Rugby League.
Sport en France cover the Championship across their television platforms nationwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elite 1 - Finale hommes |url=https://www.sportenfrance.com/programme/elite-1-finale-hommes-3/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Sport en France |language=fr-FR}}</ref> Coverage includes the match of the week and one match from each week of the playoffs including the Grand Final.
From 2020, some Elite 1 games are televised by a local channel ViàOccitanie; this is a free-to-air channel in the South of France but they are also available on the internet and via the triple play internet devices. Therefore, they offer, indirectly, free nationwide coverage of the domestic championship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rugby à XIII |url=https://viaoccitanie.tv/sport/rugby-a-xiii/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=viaoccitanie.tv}}</ref>
Presently, French clubs have to fund the broadcast of their own games or to televise their own matches themselves via the social networks or YouTube.
=== Radio === Radio Marseillette, a local Southern radio, has rugby league debate and news every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00. They also have commentary on some Elite League games.
=== Press === The French national mainstream media has, for a long time, been disinterested to follow the game, occasionally, some articles about the sport are published in newspapers such as Le Monde, Le Figaro or the national Sport newspaper L'Équipe.
Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a French specificity: the Weekly Rugby Union magazine Midi Olympique has a one-page section devoted to Rugby League. However, only two local newspapers genuinely cover the game; L'Indépendant ( based in the South of France) and la Dépêche du Midi (based in the South west of the country).
The British Rugby League press cover this championship; for example magazines like Rugby Leaguer & League Express offer a weekly report of the games. In Australia, the monthly publication Rugby League Review offer a few columns about the games as well.
==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed> LER Lezignan 20082008.jpg|FC Lézignan XIII winning in 2008–2009 Toulouse 2014.JPG|Toulouse Olympique winning in 2013–2014 Finale du Championnat de France de rugby à XIII 2017 112.jpg|Teams line up ahead of the 2016–2017 season Grand Final </gallery> == See also == {{Portal|France|Sports}} * Rugby league in France * Coupe de France Lord Derby * Wheelchair Elite 1
==Notes== {{Noteslist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.ffr13.fr/competitions/elite1/ Super XIII], French Rugby League Federation
{{French Championship}} {{Elite One Championship Stadiums}} {{Rugby League in France}}
Category:Rugby league competitions in France Category:Sports leagues established in 2002 Category:Professional sports leagues in France