Competitive Mobility Project

France

Dijon FCO

last in the divisions covered in 2022/23

How high can Dijon FCO realistically go?

Dijon FCO was not in the divisions covered in 2025/26, so there is no current position to start from.

The story so far

Dijon FCO has played 19 seasons in the divisions covered here since 2004/05: 6 in Ligue 1 and 13 in Ligue 2. Its last season in the divisions covered was 2022/23, in Ligue 2. Its best finish was 11th in Ligue 1, in 2017/18. Its biggest climb took five seasons: from 7th in Ligue 2 in 2012/13 to 11th in Ligue 1 in 2017/18. It has been promoted 3 times and relegated 3 times.

Final position each seasonRinged dots are titles
2025/262021/222017/182013/142009/102005/062001/021997/981993/941stLigue 1Ligue 2
How to read this chart

Every club in the divisions covered is placed on one ladder each season: the champions are 1st, and the top club of the second division comes straight after the bottom club of the first. Shaded bands are the divisions. Hover over or tap a dot for the season.

19seasons since 1993/94
6seasons in Ligue 1
0league titles
0top-four finishes
3promotions
3relegations

Against the money

About where its money would put it

Over 13 seasons, the average gap was +1.4 places, which is within what chance alone would produce. It finished above its money in 11 of 13 seasons with published figures.

€15mwage bill, 2022/23
26thhighest of 39 clubs with published accounts
18thfinish in Ligue 2, 2022/23
Where Dijon FCO finishedWhere its wage bill normally finishes
1st2022/232020/212018/192016/172014/152012/132010/112008/09Ligue 1Ligue 2
Season by season
SeasonFinishWage billWage rankPlaces above its money
2022/2318th, Ligue 2€15m26th of 39-10.2
2021/2211th, Ligue 2€14m22nd of 39-3.9
2020/2120th, Ligue 1€23m19th of 39+0.8
2019/2016th, Ligue 1€19m19th of 39+5.1
2018/1918th, Ligue 1€22m18th of 39+0.9
2017/1811th, Ligue 1€23m14th of 39+5.6
2016/1716th, Ligue 1€19m18th of 38+1.1
2015/162nd, Ligue 2€8.9m24th of 38+4.9
2014/154th, Ligue 2€8.5m26th of 38+3.2
2011/1219th, Ligue 1€15m20th of 39+0.8
2010/113rd, Ligue 2€6.8m31st of 37+6.3
2009/109th, Ligue 2€7.0m29th of 38+1.2
2008/098th, Ligue 2€7.0m31st of 38+2.4
How do we know?

For every season, we compare each club's wage bill with the average in the top two divisions, and work out the finish that wage bill usually brings, allowing for differences between seasons and assuming a bigger wage bill never lowers the expected finish. The gap between that and the actual finish, averaged over the seasons, is the figure above. An overall verdict needs at least eight seasons, and a signed number is given only when the gap is clearly larger than chance.

Wage bills are total payroll including social charges from the DNCG's published club accounts, checked against each report's own cost totals. Group (consolidated) accounts are left out.

On average, most of a big over-performance fades: clubs that finished at least four places above their money (on average 6.4 places) were +2.7 places the next season, so about 57% of it disappeared and the rest persisted. Some clubs beat their money season after season. It mixes good management, luck and resources the measure cannot see, so it is not a score for how well a club is run.

Clubs with a similar path

Clubs whose finishing positions over the last 15 seasons were closest to Dijon FCO's, with recent seasons counting more.

In France

Nîmes OlympiqueFrance · not in the divisions covered nowFC SochauxFrance · not in the divisions covered nowChamois NiortaisFrance · not in the divisions covered nowValenciennes FCFrance · not in the divisions covered now

Elsewhere in Europe

FC CrotoneItaly · not in the divisions covered nowChievo VeronaItaly · not in the divisions covered nowCardiff CityEngland · 2nd in League One, 2025/26

Compare Dijon FCO with another club

Sources