The Coupe de France (French pronunciation: [kup fʁɑ̃s]), also known in English as the French Cup[1][2] or less commonly as the France Cup,[3] is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF).[4] It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories. Between 1917 and 1919, the competition was called the Coupe Charles Simon, in tribute of Charles Simon, a French sportsman and the founder of the French Interfederal Committee (the ancestor of the French Football Federation), who died in 1915 while serving in World War I. The final is played at the Stade de France and the winner qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and a place in the Trophée des Champions match. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Coupe de France Féminine.

Coupe de France
Organising bodyFrench Football Federation
Founded1917; 107 years ago (1917)
RegionFrance
Number of teams8,506
Qualifier forUEFA Europa League
Domestic cup(s)Trophée des Champions
Current championsToulouse (1st title)
Most successful club(s)Paris Saint-Germain (14 titles)
Television broadcastersFrance Télévisions
beIN Sports
WebsiteFFF – Coupe de France
2023–24 Coupe de France

Combined with random draws and one-off matches (no replays), the Coupe de France can be difficult for the bigger clubs to win. The competition is usually beneficial to the amateur clubs as it forces higher-ranked clubs, usually professional clubs, to play as the away team when drawn against lower-league opposition if they are competing more than one level below them. Despite this advantage, only three amateur clubs have reached the final since professionalism was introduced in French football in 1932: Calais RUFC in 2000, US Quevilly in 2012 and Les Herbiers VF in 2018. Two clubs from outside Ligue 1 have won the competition, Le Havre in 1959 and Guingamp in 2009. The reigning champions are Toulouse, who defeated Nantes in the final of the 2022–23 competition.

History edit

 
1920 final between CA Paris and Le Havre

The Coupe de France was created on 15 January 1917 by the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), an early predecessor of the French Football Federation.[5] The idea was pushed by the federation's general secretary Henri Delaunay and under union sacrée, the competition was declared open to all clubs, amateur and professional, though professionalism in French football at the time was non-existent. The major clubs in France objected to the notion that all clubs should be allowed to enter. However, the federation dispelled their complaints and declared the competition would remain as is. Due to the minimal requirements to enter, the first competition featured 48 clubs. By 1948, the number had increased to 1,000 and at present, the competition features more than 7,000 clubs. Due to the initial increase in clubs, the federation created preliminary rounds beginning with the 1919–20 season. The following season, they added a second preliminary round. As of today, the competition contains eight regional rounds with some regions containing as many as ten.

The first Coupe de France victors were Olympique de Pantin who defeated FC Lyon 3–0 at the Stade de la Légion Saint-Michel in Paris in front of 2,000 spectators. The following year, the competition was shifted to the Parc des Princes and drew 10,000 supporters to the final that saw CASG Paris defeat Olympique de Paris 3–2. The competition alternated between many stadiums during its early years playing at the Stade Pershing from 1920 to 1924 before switching to the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. The competition lasted a decade there before returning to the Parc des Princes in 1938. In 1941, the final was held at the Stade de Paris. The following year, the final returned to Colombes and remained there until moving to the Parc des Princes permanently following its renovation, which made it the largest in terms of attendance in France.

There are vastly more amateur than professional clubs in France, and the competition regularly produces surprises. The best performance by an amateur club in the competition is usually awarded the Petit Poucet Plaque. One of the competition's biggest upsets occurred in February 1957 when Algerian club SCU El Biar defeated Stade de Reims who had players such as Robert Jonquet, Michel Hidalgo, Léon Glovacki, and Just Fontaine. One of the more recent successes of an amateur club occurred during the 1999–2000 competition when Championnat de France amateur club Calais RUFC reached the final. Calais, composed of doctors, dock workers, and office clerks, started the competition in the 5th round and, after defeating fellow amateurs, beat clubs Lille, Langon-Castets, Cannes, Strasbourg, and Bordeaux to advance to the final. Calais' road to the final was a prime example of the major advantages amateur clubs had with the club playing all of its matches at home beginning with the Round of 64 match. In the final the club lost to Nantes 2–1 despite scoring first.

Professional clubs have continued to express their displeasure with the advantages amateur clubs receive in the competition with many of their complaints being directly associated with their hosting of matches. Coupe de France rules explicitly state that teams drawn first during the draw are granted hosting duties for the round, however, if the club drawn second is competing two levels below the club drawn first, then the hosting duties will be given to the second club drawn. Many clubs have subsequently complained that, due to the amateur clubs not having adequate funds, the stadiums they play in are extremely unkempt. The resulting differences led to the clubs represented by the Ligue de Football Professionnel forming their own cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue. More recently, amateur clubs have begun to move to more established stadiums for their Coupe de France matches with their primary reason being to earn more money at the gate due to more established stadiums having the ability to carry more spectators.

The winner of the Coupe de France trophy normally holds on to the trophy for one year to put in on display at their headquarters before returning it to the French Football Federation. In the early 1980s, the cup was stolen, but was retrieved by the authorities quickly.[6] Since 1927, the President of France has always attended the cup final and presented the trophy to the winning team's captain. Gaston Doumergue was the first French president to attend the final.

Competition format edit

Similar to other countries' cup competitions, the Coupe de France is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round drawn at random. Each tie is played through a single leg. If a match ends in a draw, penalties are held.[7] Prior to 1967, the competition had no extra time nor penalty shootouts and instead allowed replays, similar to the FA Cup. This style was abandoned following three straight draws between Olympique Lyonnais and amateur club Angoulême CFC, which resulted in the federation flipping a coin to decide which club advanced. For the 1968–69 season, extra time was introduced and, two years later, the penalty shootout was instituted. Following the 1974–75 season, replays were scrapped.

There are a total of 14 rounds in the competition.[8] However, rounds in the competition are determined through each region in France with one of the main reasons being to reduce travel costs. Depending on the region, the number of rounds may vary from four to as many as eight with each region sending a set number of clubs to the 7th round. The regions conduct rounds of matches up until the 7th round when professional clubs enter the competition. All of the clubs are then split and drawn against each other randomly, regardless of regional affiliation though geographical pots are made prior to the draw. In the overseas departments and territories, territories such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Réunion establish their own knockout competition, similar to the regions in France, though only one club from each region is allowed to enter. This number later rose to two for some overseas regions. Territories like Mayotte, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia allow the winner of their cup competitions to enter the 7th round, such as when AS Mont-Dore won the 2009 edition of the New Caledonia Cup to earn qualification for the 2009–10 Coupe de France.

As well as being presented with the trophy, the winning team also qualifies for the UEFA Europa League. If the winner has already qualified for the UEFA Champions League via the league, the UEFA Europa League place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the league table. Overseas teams are also eligible for UEFA qualification.[9]

Format for the 2021–22 Coupe de France edit

  • In the first two rounds the teams from district and regional leagues enter.
  • National 3 teams enter at the third round stage.
  • National 2 teams enter at the fourth round stage.
  • National teams enter at the fifth round stage.
  • Ligue 2 teams enter at the seventh round stage.
  • Ligue 1 teams enter at the round of 64 stage.

Numbering edit

In Coupe de France matches, players are restricted to wearing the shirt numbers 1–20 regardless of the player's squad number.[citation needed] The starters are given the numbers 1–11.

Overseas teams edit

The cup was open to overseas teams starting in the 1961–62 season. In the 1974–75 season, the Golden Star was the first overseas team to beat a mainland team. The Martinique club beat US Melun 2–1 in the replay after 1–1 in the first game. The Golden Star was then the first overseas team to reach the round of 64. In the 1988–89 season, Le Geldar de Kourou was the first overseas team to reach the round of 32. In the 2019–20 season, JS Saint-Pierroise was the second overseas team to reach the round of 32. In the following season, Club Franciscain was the third overseas team to reach the round of 32.[citation needed]

Sponsorship edit

The Coupe de France does not have a primary sponsor of the competition, but allows sponsors of the French Football Federation to showcase themselves on club's kits at the expense of the club's sponsors. Among them include SFR, Caisse d'Epargne, Crédit Agricole, Sita-Suez, and Carrefour.[10]

Records edit

 
Paris Saint-Germain celebrating their seventh Coupe de France title in 2006

As of 2021, Paris Saint-Germain have a record of fourteen Coupe de France titles.[11] PSG and Marseille have appeared in the most finals, having played in nineteen each. The Parisian club won a cup 'double' (i.e. the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue in the same season) in 1995, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020. Marseille are one of four clubs who have suffered two consecutive finals defeats, as the Bouches-du-Rhône-based club lost to Paris Saint-Germain in 2006 and then to Sochaux the following season.[citation needed]

Due to the early dominance of Parisian clubs during the early run of the competition and along with PSG's consistency, the Île-de-France region has the most Coupe de France champions, having produced 25. The region is followed by Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, with Marseille being the region's most successful club.[citation needed]

Managers Guy Roux and André Cheuva share the honour of having managed four Coupe de France winning clubs. The most successful players are Marquinhos and Marco Verratti, who both won six titles. Éric Pécout of Nantes and Jean-Pierre Papin are joint top scorers of the competition final, having each converted a hat-trick in their only appearances in the ultimate match. In 1947, Roger Vandooren scored the fastest goal in the final's history converting after 29 seconds for his club Lille in their 2–0 win over Strasbourg.[12]

Media coverage edit

France edit

The Coupe de France currently has a broadcasting agreement with France Télévisions, the French public national television broadcaster, and Eurosport since the 1996–97 until 2021–22 season. The Coupe de France final is co-aired on France 2 since 1975 until 2026 (excluding 1984 until 2006).[13]

Free edit

Television channel Period
ORTF 1955–1975
France Télévisions 1975–1984
2006–2026
TF1 1984–2006

Pay edit

Television channel Period
Canal+ 1984–2000
Eurosport 1996–2022
beIN Sports 2022–2026

Winners edit

Performance by club edit

Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Paris Saint-Germain 14 5 1982, 1983, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 1985, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2019
Marseille 10 9 1924, 1926, 1927, 1935, 1938, 1943, 1969, 1972, 1976, 1989 1934, 1940, 1954, 1986, 1987, 1991, 2006, 2007, 2016
Saint-Étienne 6 4 1962, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977 1960, 1981, 1982, 2020
Lille 6 3 1946, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1955, 2011 1939, 1945, 1949
Monaco 5 5 1960, 1963, 1980, 1985, 1991 1974, 1984, 1989, 2010, 2021
RC Paris 5 3 1936, 1939, 1940, 1945, 1949 1930, 1950, 1990
Lyon 5 3 1964, 1967, 1973, 2008, 2012 1963, 1971, 1976
Red Star 5 1 1921, 1922, 1923, 1928, 1942 1946
Bordeaux 4 6 1941, 1986, 1987, 2013 1943, 1952, 1955, 1964, 1968, 1969
Nantes 4 6 1979, 1999, 2000, 2022 1966, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1993, 2023
Auxerre 4 2 1994, 1996, 2003, 2005 1979, 2015
Rennes 3 4 1965, 1971, 2019 1922, 1935, 2009, 2014
Strasbourg 3 3 1951, 1966, 2001 1937, 1947, 1995
Nice 3 2 1952, 1954, 1997 1978, 2022
Sète 2 4 1930, 1934 1923, 1924, 1929, 1942
Sedan 2 3 1956, 1961 1965, 1999, 2005
Sochaux 2 3 1937, 2007 1959, 1967, 1988
Montpellier 2 2 1929, 1990 1931, 1994
Reims 2 1 1950, 1958 1977
Metz 2 1 1984, 1988 1938
Guingamp 2 1 2009, 2014 1997
CASG Paris 2 1919, 1925
Olympique de Paris 1 2 1918 1919, 1921
Bastia 1 2 1981 1972, 2002
CA Paris 1 1 1920 1928
Le Havre 1 1 1959 1920
Club Français 1 1931
Cannes 1 1932
Roubaix 1 1933
Nancy-Lorraine 1 1944
Toulouse (1937) 1 1957
Nancy 1 1978
Lorient 1 2002
Toulouse 1 2023
Lens 3 1948, 1975, 1998
Nîmes 3 1958, 1961, 1996
US Quevilly 2 1927, 2012
RC Roubaix 2 1932, 1933
FC Nancy 2 1953, 1962
Angers 2 1957, 2017
FC Lyon 1 1918
FC Rouen 1 1925
AS Valentigney 1 1926
FCO Charleville 1 1936
SC Fives 1 1941
ÉF Reims-Champagne 1 1944
Valenciennes 1 1951
AS Troyes-Savinienne 1 1956
Orléans 1 1980
Calais RUFC 1 2000
Amiens 1 2001
LB Châteauroux 1 2004
Evian 1 2013
Les Herbiers 1 2018

References edit

  1. ^ "French Cup live scores, results, Football France - Flashscore". Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  2. ^ "French Cup 2024 | National Associations | Inside UEFA". Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.scorebar.com/tournament/1423/france-cup[bare URL]
  4. ^ "Tickets French Cup PSG | Paris Saint-Germain | Paris Saint-Germain". billetterie.psg.fr. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  5. ^ "France Cup". bsportsfan.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  6. ^ "the day the 1979 Coupe de France was stolen… by trade unionists from Lorraine". 6 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Règlement de la Coupe de France: la FFF siffle la fin de la prolongation". Lavoixdunord.fr. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Coupe de France – Azscore". Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  9. ^ "The longest journeys in UEFA football history". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  10. ^ "FFF gets sponsorship boost as PMU comes on board". Sportspromedia.com. 23 December 2009. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Monaco 0–2 Paris Saint Germain: PSG win sixth French Cup in seven years". BBC Sport. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Coupe de France Football Data – Sportmonks' Football APIs". Sportmonks. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Coupes – La FFF, France TV et Eurosport renouvellent leur partenariat pour 4 ans – FFF". FFF (in French). Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.

External links edit