This year's edition of the Top 14 welcomed Racing Métro, winners of the 2009 title in the second-level Pro D2, and Albi, victors in the 2009 promotion playoffs between the second- through fifth-placed teams in Pro D2, thus becoming the first team to achieve promotion to the Top 14 only one year after being relegated.

Racing Métro, on the other hand, finished sixth, giving them a berth in the newly expanded playoffs and a place in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup.

Bayonne finished in the other relegation spot of 13th place, but were reprieved due to the financial problems of 12th-place Montauban.

This replaced the classical format consisting of semifinals between the top four teams held at neutral sites.

This means that if a club finishes in the top six and wins one of the European competitions, the seventh-place team will gain a Heineken Cup berth.

Players were selected by fan vote from a three-player shortlist on the official LNR site, and the results are posted roughly in the middle of the following month.