For the 2009–10 Coupe de la Ligue season, six clubs will be exempted until the Round of 16, the top 5 Ligue 1 finishers from the 2008–09 season and the winner of the 2008–09 Coupe de France. These teams earned exemption by virtue of qualifying for European competitions this season. Previously, only two clubs were exempted, the Ligue 1 champions and the runners-up. The six clubs that are exempted this year are Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, and Guingamp.
The draw for the preliminary round, 1st round, and 2nd round was determined on 8 July.[2]
The preliminary round was played on 25 July and featured the 2nd and 3rd-place finishers from the 2008–09 Championnat National season, the bottom three finishers from the 2008–09 Ligue 2 season, and FC Gueugnon, all of whom qualified by virtue of their professional status in the LFP .
The 1st round was played on 1 August and featured the three winners from the preliminary round, the bottom three finishers from the 2009 Ligue 1 season, the top finisher from the 2009 Championnat National season and thirteen mid-table teams from Ligue 2.
The 3rd round was played on 22 and 23 September and featured the five clubs that successfully advanced from the 2nd round, the twelve non-exempt Ligue 1 clubs, plus the top three finishers from Ligue 2.
The Round of 16 was played on 12 January 2010. It featured the five exempt Ligue 1 teams, the ten winners from the 3rd round, and the winner of the 2008–09 Coupe de France. The draw was determined on 25 September. The Le Mans–Bordeaux match was rescheduled to 26 January due to inclement weather.