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The first competition was held in 1892, as a one-off championship game between the Racing Club de France and Stade Français.

The Racing Club defeated Stade Français four points to three to win the first ever title, though the stadistes got their revenge the following year in a repeat of the final.

The match official for that first final was Pierre de Coubertin.

Stade Français would go onto win a number of titles thereafter.

The 1897 and 1898 series were awarded on a points system after a round-robin.

Although the competition was called the French championship, entry was confined to Parisian clubs.

The 1899 season was the first to include clubs from outside of Paris, and led to Stade Bordelais ( from Bordeaux ) winning the final that season, which was also played outside of Paris, in Le Bouscat ( a suburb of the city of Bordeaux ).