France: Thonon Black Panthers vault into the #1 spot

The French D1 Elite is heading into the seventh weekend of the 2025 regular season and the top teams are pulling away.

The Thonon Black Panthers are gathering steam and their emphatic shut out win over the La Courneuve Flash has put the rest of the league on notice. The Flash will no doubt rebound from that loss but for now they have been bumped down to #2. The Molosses have only lost to these two teams while the Cannes Iron Mask and Toulouse Ours have solidified their spots among the top 5 teams.

Let’s take a look at the rankings.

1 Thonon Black Panthers – 5-1-0

Thonon leapfrogged the Flash by virtue of a convincing 17-0 shutout of their chief rivals. Their next biggest test looms against the Diables Rouges who they barely defeated 10-8 earlier in the season.

Next up: Villepinte Diables Rouges

1 La Courneuve Flash – 5-1-0

The Flash ran into a Black Panthers squad bent on revenge but otherwise have held strong and remain among the top two.

Next up: Asnieres Molosses

3 Asnieres Molosses – 4-2-0

The Molosses have continued to play quality football with their only losses coming against the Black Panthers and Flash. They definitely still belong in the Top 3.

Next up: La Courneuve Flash

4 Cannes Iron Mask – 5-0-0

Cannes continues to impress by winning four in a row and now sit atop the Conference B standings.

Next up: Toulouse Ours

5 Toulouse Ours – 4-0-0

Toulouse has won their first four games in the B Conference but have two dates against the Iron Mask coming up which will now be their true test. Still they belong among the top 6 teams in France.

Next up: Cannes Iron Mask

6 Marseille Blue Stars – 2-2-1

The Blue Stars continue to struggle but have a winnable game coming up against the Aix Argonautes.. They need to string together wins to climb back up the rankings.

Next up: Aix Argonautes

7 Grizzlys Catalans – 1-3-1

The Grizzlys have been inconsistent and are having a tough time finding a rhythm. They have two games against the Nice Dauphins that may help them get back on track.

Next up: Nice Dauphins

8 Aix Argonautes – 1-3-0

The Argonautes could just as easily by 4-0 as all three losses have been close games. They could surprise as the head into the second half of the season.

Next up: Marseille Blue Stars

9 Villepinte Diables Rouges – 2-3-1

The Diables Rouges have won two games and their three losses have been against the top three teams in the league. But their wins have been against the lowly Cougars and Leopards and they also tied the Cougars.

Next up: Thonon Black Panthers

10 Rouen Leopards – 1-5-0

The Leopards have suffered five lopsided losses and their lone win came against the Cougars and it was a close game.

Next up: Saint-Ouen Cougars

11 Nice Dauphins – 0-5-0

The Dauphins have lost their five opening games and are only ahead of the Cougars who have looked worse.

Next up: Grizzlys Catalans

12 Saint-Ouen Cougars – 0-5-1

The Cougars have lost all five opening games, four in lopsided fashion. They have given up a league-worst 313 points. However their 0-0 tie against the Diables Rouges may be a sign of improvement. Still, they remain mired in the basement of the standings.

Next up: Rouen Leopards