Its annual competition features twelve teams playing two series of round-robin matches from September to June, to determine the four participants of a single-elimination tournament.

The winners of the tournament are crowned champions of France, and contest the Trophée des Championnes match the following season.

The Première Ligue is the latest iteration of a competition founded in 1975 by the French Football Federation (FFF) as the amateur Division 1 Féminine.

During the course of a season, usually from September to June, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 22 games, though clubs are allowed to host "big" matches at the home venues of their male counterparts, such as when Paris Saint-Germain hosted Juvisy at the Parc des Princes during the 2009–10 season.

If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.

The top four clubs in the league table were inserted into a play-off bracket following the completion of the season with the winner being crowned champions.

[6] Until the 2019–2020 edition, only the top two teams in the Division 1 Féminine qualify for the round of 32 of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Following the 2009–10 season, the French Football Federation, who oversee the league, also began awarding a Player of the Year trophy.