Just Louis Fontaine was a French professional footballer who played as a striker. He scored the most goals ever in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in the 1958 FIFA World Cup tournament. In March 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.
Raymond Kopa was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three European Cups.
The France national rugby union team represents the French Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union matches. Colloquially known as Le XV de France, the team traditionally wears blue shirts with a Gallic rooster embroidered on the chest, white shorts and red socks in reference to the French national flag. Les Bleus mostly play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship along with England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France have won the tournament on 26 occasions, winning the Grand Slam 10 times.
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.
Christophe Jérôme Dugarry is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. His clubs include Bordeaux, Milan, Barcelona, Marseille, Birmingham City and Qatar SC. He was also a member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Association football is the most popular sport in France. 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.
Bernard Lacombe is a French former professional footballer. He played as a striker, mainly with Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and the France national team.
Bernard Mendy is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was known for his blistering pace and constant overlapping runs. He most recently served as the assistant manager of Paris Saint-Germain Féminine.
Bernard Pascal Maurice Lama is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As a member of the France national team, he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Lama most notably played in the French Division 1 for Lille, Metz, Brest, Lens, Paris Saint-Germain, and Rennes, and in the Premier League for West Ham United.
Bernard Nicolas Thierry Diomède is a French football manager and former professional player. He was most recently the manager of the France U20s. He played as a winger and won the World Cup with France in 1998.
Maxime Jean Marcel Bossis is a French retired professional footballer who played as a defender.
Edmond Delfour was a French international footballer who played as a midfielder. He played at the 1930, the 1934 and the 1938 FIFA World Cups.
Alain Couriol is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Philippe Mahut was a French professional footballer who played as a defender.
Yvon Douis was a French professional footballer who played as a striker.
Thadée Cisowski, originally Tadeusz Cisowski, was a French former footballer who played as a striker. A son of Polish immigrants, he was regarded one of the best goalscorers in Championnat de France.
Bernard Chiarelli, is a former French footballer who played as midfielder. He won one cap for France, against Switzerland in 1958.
Benjamin Genghini is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Régional 3 – Grand Est club AS Mutzig.
The history of the France national football team dates back to 1904. The national team, also referred to as Les Bleus, represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA.
The 2011 Coupe de France final was the 93rd final of France's most prestigious football cup competition. The final took place on 14 May 2011 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille. Paris Saint-Germain were the defending champions of the competition and it was the third time in the club's history that it had appeared in back-to-back finals. The winner of the Coupe de France is guaranteed a place in the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League with the club's appearance being dependent on whether it qualifies for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. The final was broadcast live on France 2.
