The Coupe de la Ligue, known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, was only open to professional clubs in France which play in country's top three football divisions, though the third is not fully professional.
Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice, commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Allianz Riviera.
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard is a French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Championnat National, the third tier of French football, after having been administratively relegated from Ligue 2 in the 2022–23 season, despite a 9th place finish. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal, located within the city.
Racing Club de Lens, commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply as Lens, is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, Les Sang et Or, comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. As of the 2024–25 season, Lens competes in Ligue 1, the highest tier of French football.
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club, commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974. Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Michel Der Zakarian and captained by Téji Savanier.
En Avant Guingamp, commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Guingamp, in France's Brittany region. The club was founded in 1912 and play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The club has appeared in the Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, for 13 seasons, and is known for its relative success given Guingamp's small population of only 7,000 people.
Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur. The federation organizes the Coupe de France and is responsible for appointing the management of the men's, women's, and youth national football teams in France. The federation gives responsibility of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who oversee, organize, and manage the country's top two leagues. The LFP is also responsible for organizing the Coupe de la Ligue, the country's league cup competition. The French Football Federation also supervises the overseas departments and territories leagues and hosts football club AS Monaco, a club based in the independent sovereign state of Monaco. In 2022, the FFF had 2.1 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 14,000 registered clubs, the second highest number of registered players in Europe after Germany.
Grenoble Foot 38, commonly referred to as simply Grenoble or GF38, is a French association football club based in Grenoble. The club plays its home matches at the Stade des Alpes, a sports complex based in the heart of the city, and wears white and blue.
Patrice Loko is French former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Alain Roche is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He spent significant time at Paris Saint-Germain, where he notably won the European Cup Winners' Cup. He earned his first international cap for France on 19 November 1988 against Yugoslavia in a 3–2 loss.
Vincent Guérin is a French former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder.
The 1996–97 Division 1 season was the 59th since its establishment. AS Monaco won the French Association Football League with 79 points. Four teams were relegated to Second division and only two were promoted because in 1997–1998, only 18 would participate the championship.
The 1998 Coupe de France final was a football match held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis on 2 May 1998, that saw Paris SG defeat RC Lens 2-1 thanks to goals by Raí and Marco Simone. Vladimír Šmicer scored for the Division 1 champion which could not enjoy two successes in a single season. This final was also the first ever played in the newly-built Stade de France.
The 1997 Coupe de France final was a football match held at the Parc des Princes, Paris on 10 May 1997, that saw Nice defeat Guingamp in a penalty shoot out. After normal time and extra-time could not separate the two sides, the match was to be decided on penalty kicks. Stéphane Carnot and Claude Michel missed for Guingamp, while only Louis Gomis missed for Nice. This final was the last Coupe de France final held at the Parc des Princes, with the following year's final held at the new Stade de France.
The 1971 Coupe de France final was an association football match held at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes on 20 June 1971. Stade Rennais defeated Olympique Lyonnais 1–0, thanks to a goal by André Guy.
Tchiressoua Guel is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
The Coupe de France 1997–98 was its 81st edition. It was won by Paris SG.
Canet Roussillon Football Club is an association football club based in Canet-en-Roussillon, France. It was founded in 1934. The club currently plays in Championnat National 3
The 2022 Coupe de France final was a football match between Nice and Nantes to decide the winner of the 2021–22 Coupe de France, the 105th season of the Coupe de France. Originally scheduled to take place on 8 May at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, the final was moved to 7 May in consultation with competing clubs and the broadcasters.
