On Saturday 2 August 2025, the 2025/26 season of the Luxembourg national football championship, the BGL Ligue, officially got underway with eight matches played and a total of 23 goals scored across the first matchday.
The highest-scoring fixture came in the opening match between last season’s third-placed side, F91 Dudelange, and Progrès Niederkorn, who finished fifth in the 2024/25 campaign. The two teams found the net seven times in a dynamic encounter.
Olivier Thill opened the scoring for the visitors and registered the first goal of the new season, but Dudelange responded immediately with an equaliser from Evan Rotundo. Progrès regained the lead just eight minutes later through Kenan Avdusinovic, making it 2-1. A turning point came in the 42nd minute when Progrès’ Alex Guett inadvertently scored an own goal, bringing the teams level at 2-2 at half-time.
The second half resumed with another goal from Thill, who completed his brace in the 52nd minute to restore Progrès’ advantage. Dudelange equalised once more after 20 minutes through Bilal Benkhedim. The decisive moment came in the 85th minute when Dudelange captain Mehdi Kirch scored the fourth and final goal for the hosts, securing a 4-3 victory.
After the match, Dudelange captain Kirch told Chronicle.lu that the the victory as a significant result for the team, particularly given the changes within the squad: “This win is very important for us and for the group, because we lost many players from last season. We are a new team, and winning against a direct rival in the race for Europe is always a very good way to start.” He added: “It was a match with high intensity. I would have preferred to win 1-0 - conceding three goals is too much for me. [This season] the objective is to finish as high as possible and to qualify for European competition.”
All remaining fixtures were played on Sunday. Current champions FC Differdange 03, currently balancing domestic and European commitments, hosted league newcomers FC Atert Bissen. Just four days after a European clash on Tuesday 29 July, Pedro Silva’s side faced resilient opposition. The only goal of the match came in the 36th minute through 34-year-old captain Geoffrey Franzoni converted a low cross from Boris Mfoumou, who had broken through the Bissen defence. The 1-0 scoreline held until full-time.
Speaking to Chronicle.lu after the match, Franzoni stated: “Boris did a great job on the wing and gave me a perfect assist - I just had to finish it.” Looking ahead to their upcoming European clash, he added: “Now we need to focus on Thursday’s [7 August 2025] home game against Levadia Tallinn in the Conference League. If we stay disciplined, I believe a positive result is within our reach.”
Una Strassen, the current vice-champions, also secured a narrow 1-0 victory away at US Mondorf-les-Bains, courtesy of a goal from Edis Agovic.
Elsewhere, Victoria Rosport recorded a convincing 4-1 win on the road against US Hostert. Midfielder Johannes Steinbach played a key role, scoring once and providing two assists. Meanwhile, league newcomers Jeunesse Canach suffered a 2-3 home defeat against FC Mamer 32.
Matchday 1 results:
F91 Dudelange - Progrès Niederkorn 4:3
US Hostert - Victoria Rosport 1:4
Swift Hesperange - Union Titus Pétange 0:0
US Mondorf-les-Bains - Una Strassen 0:1
AS La Jeunesse d’Esch/Alzette - UN Käerjeng 97 1:1
FC Differdange 03 - FC Atert Bissen 1:0
Jeunesse Canach - FC Mamer 32 2:3
FC Rodange 91 - Racing FC Union Luxembourg 1:1
Matchday 2 of the BGL Ligue 2025/26 will take place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August 2025.
(Caption: Geoffrey Franzoni, Differdange's captain; Credit: Ievgenii Karanov)
