FC Differdange 03

Last updated

Differdange 03
Logo fcd grand.svg
Full nameFoussballclub Differdange 03
Founded2003;22 years ago (2003)
Ground Municipal Stadium vun der Stad Déifferdeng, Differdange
Capacity3,800
ChairmanFabrizio Bei
ManagerPedro Resende
League BGL Ligue
2024–25 Luxembourg National Division, 1st of 16 (champions)
Website www.fcd03.lu

Foussballclub Differdange 03 is a professional football club based in Differdange, Luxembourg. The club currently competes in Luxembourg National Division, the highest division in Luxembourg. Founded in 2003, FDC03 played its home games in Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange, along with Stade du Thillenberg. [1] [2]

Contents

History

It was founded in 2003, by a merge of 2 clubs from the city of Differdange: FA Red Boys Differdange and AS Differdange. When the clubs merged, in time for the 2003–04 season, Red Boys was languishing in the bottom half of the Division of Honour, while AS was in mid-table position in the third tier of Luxembourgish football. The new club took Red Boys league position, and was promoted back into the National Division in the 2005–06 season, when the top division was expanded from twelve clubs to fourteen.

Red Boys Differdange had previously been one of the largest and most successful teams in Luxembourgish football, having won the Luxembourg Cup more times than any other team (15). During the 1920s and 1930s, Red Boys competed with Spora Luxembourg for dominance of Luxembourgish football. Red Boys was the more successful of the two, and won thirteen trophies in as many years between 1923 and 1936. Despite the staunch competition (Spora won 8 trophies in the same period), this record has never been matched.

In the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League Differdange 03 progressed to the 3rd qualifying round of the competition after they eliminated Levadia Tallinn 1–0 on aggregate, one of the club's most famous European victories and one of the most historic victories for a club from Luxembourg has ever had in European Competitions. In the 3rd qualifying round they met Olympiakos Volou and lost 3–0 in both legs, 6–0 on aggregate. However, as Olympiakos Volou was presumably involved in a corruption case, UEFA decided on 11 August 2011 that Differdange would progress to the play-off round and meet Paris Saint-Germain, the furthest a club from Luxembourg has reached in European competitions.

In June 2012, after a poor season in BGL League in which they placed 4th, FCD03 changed coach and Paolo Amodio was exempted. Michel Le Flochmoan was appointed as new coach as he is familiar in BGL League: with the F91 Dudelange and with Jeunesse Esch he won multiple championships in Luxembourg.

On 5 and 12 July 2012, FCD03 won against NSÍ Runavík for the first round of qualifying for Europe League with 3–0 and 0–3, with a total of 6 goals in two games. In the second round, FC Differdange 03 faced Belgian club Gent, but were eliminated with an aggregate of 2–4.

On 18 July 2013, they defeated the Dutch club Utrecht in the first leg of 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League for 2–1. Omar Er Rafik scored both goals. And on 25 July 2013 the made a 3–3 draw against Utrecht in the return, eliminating the Dutch club, which is significantly larger than Differdange, in the UEFA Europa League.

Differdange 03 made history in the 2023-24 season as they won their seventh title in the Luxembourg National Division. This marked their first-ever top-flight title as "Differdange 03", securing it by winning at Stade Jos Haupert.

In 2024-25, Differdange 03 achieved their domestic double, winning both the BGL Ligue (Luxembourg National Division) and the Luxembourg Cup in the same season - their first since winning the double as Red Boys Differdange in 1979.

Honours

European competitions

As Red Boys Differdange

Red Boys Differdange qualified for UEFA European competition ten times.

First round (1): 1979–80
First round (3): 1972–73, 1982–83, 1985–86
First round (6): 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1984–85

Red Boys never progressed past the first tie in any European competition. They won one match in Europe, winning their 1979 UEFA European Cup first leg 2–1 against Omonia Nicosia before losing 6–1 in Cyprus. In the 1984 UEFA Cup, Red Boys managed a surprise goalless draw with Ajax, but were crushed 14–0 in the return, which remains a UEFA Cup record.

As FC Differdange 03

In the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League Differdange progressed to the 3rd qualifying round of the competition after they eliminated Utrecht 5–4 on aggregate. Overall, Differdange's record in European competition reads: Updated 26 July 2013

PWDLGFGAGD
Red Boys Differdange2011188103−95
FC Differdange 0331104173049−19
CompetitionMatchesWDLGFGA
UEFA Champions League 210137
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 6006228
UEFA Cup/Europa League 2864182394
UEFA Intertoto Cup 200205
SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan Bratislava 0–20–30–5 Symbol delete vote.svg
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 2Q Flag of Croatia.svg Rijeka 1–00–31–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2010–11 UEFA Europa League 2Q Flag of Serbia.svg Spartak Zlatibor Voda 3–30–23–5 Symbol delete vote.svg
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 2Q Flag of Estonia.svg FCI Levadia 0–01–01–0 Symbol keep vote.svg
3Q Flag of Greece.svg Olympiacos Volou 0–30–30–6 Symbol keep vote.svg
PO Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain 0–40–20–6 Symbol delete vote.svg
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg NSÍ Runavík 3–03–06–0 Symbol keep vote.svg
2Q Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Gent 0–12–32–4 Symbol delete vote.svg
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Albania.svg Laçi 2–11–03–1 Symbol keep vote.svg
2Q Flag of the Netherlands.svg Utrecht 2–13–35–4 Symbol keep vote.svg
3Q Flag of Norway.svg Tromsø 1–00–11–1 (3–4 p.) Symbol delete vote.svg
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Lithuania.svg Atlantas 1–01–32–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Bala Town 3–11–24–3 Symbol keep vote.svg
2Q Flag of Turkey.svg Trabzonspor 1–20–11–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Ulster Banner.svg Cliftonville 1–10–21–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Zira 1–20–21–4 Symbol delete vote.svg
2020–21 UEFA Europa League 1Q Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Zrinjski Mostar 0–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Flag of Slovenia.svg Olimpija Ljubljana 1–2 ( a.e.t. )1–12–3 Symbol delete vote.svg
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Flag of Slovenia.svg Maribor 1–13–4 ( a.e.t. )4–5 Symbol delete vote.svg
2024–25 UEFA Champions League 1Q Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg 0–00−20−2 Symbol delete vote.svg
UEFA Conference League 2Q Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Ordabasy 1–03−44−4 (3–4 p.) Symbol delete vote.svg
2025–26 UEFA Champions League 1Q Flag of Kosovo.svg Drita 2−30−12−4 Symbol delete vote.svg
UEFA Conference League 2Q Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg The New Saints 1–01–02–0 Symbol keep vote.svg
3Q Flag of Estonia.svg FCI Levadia 2−33–1 ( a.e.t. )5–4 Symbol keep vote.svg
PO Flag of Kosovo.svg Drita
Notes

Current squad

Updated 23 July, 2025. [3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Luxembourg.svg  LUX Evan da Costa
4 MF Flag of Luxembourg.svg  LUX Kevin D'Anzico
5 DF Flag of France.svg  FRA Théo Brusco
7 FW Flag of Cameroon.svg  CMR Boris Mfoumou
8 MF Flag of Portugal (official).svg  POR Bruno Reis
9 FW Flag of Germany.svg  GER Andreas Buch
10 MF Flag of Luxembourg.svg  LUX Artur Abreu
11 FW Flag of Tunisia.svg  TUN Amine Haboubi
14 DF Flag of Argentina.svg  ARG Juan Bedouret
20 MF Flag of Portugal (official).svg  POR Rafa Pinto
21 MF Flag of France.svg  FRA Ludovic Rauch
22 GK Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  BEL Alexandre Van Buggenhout
23 FW Flag of France.svg  FRA Samir Hadji
No.Pos.NationPlayer
25 DF Flag of France.svg  FRA Geoffrey Franzoni
27 FW Flag of Portugal (official).svg  POR Arlindo Barbosa
28 FW Flag of Portugal (official).svg  POR Edgar Pacheco
32 DF Flag of France.svg  FRA Dylan Lempereur
34 FW Flag of the Netherlands.svg  NED Adham El Idrissi
39 MF Flag of Germany.svg  GER Luis Jakobi
45 MF Flag of Portugal (official).svg  POR Rafael Ribeiro
55 MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Leandro
66 DF Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  GNB João Ricciulli
70 FW Flag of Senegal.svg  SEN André Mendy
77 DF Flag of Luxembourg.svg  LUX Gianluca Bei
84 GK Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Felipe

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
DF Flag of Luxembourg.svg  LUX Lucas Taveira (on loan to FC Rodange 91 until 30 June 2025)

Staff

Former coaches

References

  1. "Stade Municipal de la Ville de Differdange – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  2. "Stade du Thillenberg – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  3. "Kader" . Retrieved 1 October 2024.