Coupe de France
Encyclopedia
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France (kup də fʁɑ̃s, French Cup), is the premier knockout
cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation
. The cup competition is named after Charles Simon, a French sportsman
who died while serving in World War I and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories
. The final is played at the Stade de France
and the winner of the Coupe de France qualifies for the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. The current champions are Lille
, who defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the final
of the 2010–11 competition
.
The Coupe de France was first held in 1917–18
and, during the 2007–08 season, celebrated its 90th anniversary. 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 two levels below them. However, despite the advantages, only one amateur club has actually reached the final since professionalism was introduced in French football in 1932: Calais RUFC
in 2000
. Both clubs who have won the competition and were not playing in Ligue 1
were professional, Le Havre
in 1959
and Guingamp in 2009
. The Coupe de France is managed and ran by the Coupe de France Commission, whose president is former French international
Jean Djorkaeff
.
7,422 clubs participated in the 2011–12 cup competition
.
. 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 and preferred the model of the FA Cup
in England, which limited the competition to only the country's elite. 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 much 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 1920–1924 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.
Since the ratio between amateur and professional clubs in France is extremely one-sided, the competition regularly produces surprises. The best performance by an amateur club in the competition is usually awarded the Petit Poucet Plaque. On 4 February 1957, one of the competition's biggest upsets occurred when Algerian club SCU El Biar
defeated European
powerhouse Stade de Reims who had players such as Robert Jonquet
, Michel Hidalgo, Léon Glovacki
, and Just Fontaine
in its arsenal. 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, reached the Round of 64 where they faced Lille
. Calais, after 120 minutes, were level 1–1 with Lille and defeated their Northern foes 7–6 on penalties. In the following two rounds, Calais defeated Langon-Castets and Cannes
. In the quarter-finals, Calais defeated Strasbourg
2–1 and on 12 April 2000, eclipsed Bordeaux
3–1 in the semi-finals 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. Unfortunately for Calais, their Cinderella
run came to an end in the final with the club losing 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 earned 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 onto 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. Since 1927, the President of France has always attended the cup final and presented the trophy to the winning team's captain. President Gaston Doumergue
was the first French president to take part in the ceremony.
. 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. 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. In the overseas departments and territories
, territories such as Guadeloupe
, Martinique, French Guyana, and Réunion
establish their own knockout competition, similar to the regions in France, though only one club from each region is allowed to enter. 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 cup runners-up. If they have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League, the place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the league table.
to showcase themselves on club's kits. Among them include SFR
, Caisse d'Epargne
, Crédit Agricole
, Sita-Suez
, and Carrefour
.
have the honor of having won the most Coupe de France titles, winning ten, with their most recent coming during the 1988–89 season following their 4–3 victory over Monaco
. Marseille also have appeared in the most finals having played in 18. Marseille are notable in terms of losing in the competition as they are one of four clubs who have suffered two consecutive finals defeat with the southern coast
club losing to Paris Saint-Germain in 2006
and falling to Sochaux
the following season
. Marseille are the only club of the four to lose consecutive Coupe de France finals twice. Paris Saint-Germain are second behind Marseille having won seven Coupe de France titles. The Parisian club are also the only club to have won both the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue in the same season having accomplished this in 1995 and 1998. Many clubs have won the league and cup double
, the most recent being Olympique Lyonnais
who completed their double after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the 2008 final
.
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 23. The region is followed by Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
with Marseille being the region's most successful club.
Managers Guy Roux and André Cheuva
share the honor of having managed four Coupe de France winning clubs. The most successful players are Dominique Bathenay
, Alain Roche
, and Marceau Sommerlynck who all won five 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 final's history converting after 29 seconds for his club Lille
in their 2–0 win over Strasbourg
.
, the French public national television broadcaster, and Eurosport
. The French Football Federation reached an agreement with the broadcasters on 25 January 2010 agreeing to a four-year deal worth €4 million a season. The Coupe de France final will be televised on France 2
, the broadcaster's main channel. Abroad, the Coupe de France has an agreement with the Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports
. The channel broadcasts the competition in Canada, Australia, Africa (select countries), and the United Kingdom.
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation
French Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
. The cup competition is named after Charles Simon, a French sportsman
Sportsman
Sportsman may refer to:* Sportsperson: someone who enjoys sport* Sportsmanship, conforming to all the rules of game and acting in a fair manner towards the opponent* Gun rights supporter * Sportsman's Association UK gun rights group...
who died while serving in World War I and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories
Overseas departments and territories of France
The French Overseas Departments and Territories consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of the European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France , and consequently the...
. The final is played at the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
and the winner of the Coupe de France qualifies for the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. The current champions are Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
, who defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the final
2011 Coupe de France Final
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...
of the 2010–11 competition
2010–11 Coupe de France
The 2010–11 Coupe de France was the 94th season of France's most prestigious cup competition. The competition was organized by the French Football Federation and was open to all clubs in French football, as well as clubs from the overseas departments and territories...
.
The Coupe de France was first held in 1917–18
Coupe de France Final 1918
The Coupe de France Final 1918 was a football match held at Légion Saint-Michel field, Paris on May 5, 1918, that saw Olympique de Pantin defeat FC Lyon 3-0 thanks to goals by A. Fievet and Louis Darques.-Match details:-External links:**...
and, during the 2007–08 season, celebrated its 90th anniversary. 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 two levels below them. However, despite the advantages, only one amateur club has actually reached the final since professionalism was introduced in French football in 1932: Calais RUFC
Calais RUFC
Calais Racing Union FC is a French football club based in Calais, France.-The Club:The club was founded 1902 as Racing Club de Calais and was in the year 1974 renamed in Calais Racing Union Football Club....
in 2000
Coupe de France Final 2000
The Coupe de France Final 2000 was a football match held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis on May 7, 2000, that saw FC Nantes Atlantique defeat the surprising amateur team of Calais RUFC from CFA 2-1 thanks to goals by Antoine Sibierski and Alain Caveglia....
. Both clubs who have won the competition and were not playing in Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
were professional, Le Havre
Le Havre AC
Le Havre Athletic Club Football Association is a French association football club based in Le Havre. The club was founded originally as an athletics and rugby club in 1872, thus making it the oldest association football and rugby club registered in France...
in 1959
Coupe de France Final 1959
The Coupe de France Final 1959 was a football match held at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes on May 3, 1959 and May 18, 1959 that saw Le Havre AC of Division 2 defeat FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.-First match:-Replay:-External links:**...
and Guingamp in 2009
Coupe de France Final 2009
The 2009 Coupe de France Final was the 91st final of France's most prestigious cup competition, the Coupe de France. The final was played at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on 9 May 2009 and was contested between Stade Rennais F.C. of Ligue 1 and En Avant Guingamp of Ligue 2...
. The Coupe de France is managed and ran by the Coupe de France Commission, whose president is former French international
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
Jean Djorkaeff
Jean Djorkaeff
Jean "Tchouki" Djorkaeff is a retired French football player. He was born in the French commune of Charvieu, located in the département of Isère and is ethnically Kalmyk and Polish. He made his debut as a professional footballer playing for Lyon in a match against Limoges on December 28, 1958...
.
7,422 clubs participated in the 2011–12 cup competition
2011–12 Coupe de France
The 2011–12 Coupe de France is the 95th season of the most prestigious cup competition of France. The competition is organized by the French Football Federation and open to all clubs in French football, as well as clubs from the overseas departments and territories...
.
History
The Coupe de France was created on 15 January 1917 by the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), an early predecessor of the French Football FederationFrench Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
. The idea was pushed by the federation's general secretary Henri Delaunay
Henri Delaunay
Henri Delaunay was a French football administrator.After playing for the Paris team Étoile des Deux Lacs, he became a referee...
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 and preferred the model of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
in England, which limited the competition to only the country's elite. 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
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
containing as much as ten.
The first Coupe de France victors were Olympique de Pantin who defeated FC Lyon
FC Lyon
FC Lyon is a French sports club. It was established on November 17, 1893, and is notable for its rugby and football sections....
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
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
and drew 10,000 supporters to the final that saw CASG Paris defeat Olympique de Paris
Olympique de Paris
Olympique de Paris was a French association football team based in Paris which existed from 1895 to 1926. Founded with the name Olympique de Pantin, it won the Coupe de France in 1918 and played in the finals in 1919 and 1921. It merged with Red Star Saint-Ouen in 1926.-Famous players:...
3–2. The competition alternated between many stadiums during its early years playing at the Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing
Stade Pershing was a multi-purpose stadium in Vincennes, France. It was used mostly for football matches and hosted the final of the Coupe de France on four occasions. It also hosted some of the football and rugby matches during the 1924 Summer Olympics. The stadium was able to hold 29,000...
from 1920–1924 before switching to the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
in Colombes
Colombes
Colombes is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On 13 March 1896, 17% of the territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of Bois-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
Stade de Paris
The Stade de Paris is a 10,000-capacity football stadium in Saint-Ouen, Seine-Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of 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.
Since the ratio between amateur and professional clubs in France is extremely one-sided, the competition regularly produces surprises. The best performance by an amateur club in the competition is usually awarded the Petit Poucet Plaque. On 4 February 1957, one of the competition's biggest upsets occurred when Algerian club SCU El Biar
JS El Biar
Jeunesse Sportive d'El Biar, referred to commonly as JS El Biar or JSEB for short, is an Algerian football club based in the El Biar district of Alger, Algeria...
defeated European
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
powerhouse Stade de Reims who had players such as Robert Jonquet
Robert Jonquet
Robert Jonquet , was a French former football defender. He played the majority of his professional career for the club Stade de Reims, winning five French championships and appearing in two European Cup finals...
, Michel Hidalgo, Léon Glovacki
Léon Glovacki
Léon Glovacki was a French football striker.-References:*...
, and Just Fontaine
Just Fontaine
Just "Justo" Fontaine is a former French football player.-Football career:He holds the record for most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup finals tournament, with 13 in 1958...
in its arsenal. One of the more recent successes of an amateur club occurred during the 1999–2000 competition
Coupe de France 1999-2000
The Coupe de France 1999-2000 was its 83rd edition. It was won by the FC Nantes Atlantique, which defeated Calais RUFC in the final.- Round of 16 :- Quarter-finals :-Semi-finals:-----Final:-References:*...
when Championnat de France amateur club Calais RUFC
Calais RUFC
Calais Racing Union FC is a French football club based in Calais, France.-The Club:The club was founded 1902 as Racing Club de Calais and was in the year 1974 renamed in Calais Racing Union Football Club....
reached the final
Coupe de France Final 2000
The Coupe de France Final 2000 was a football match held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis on May 7, 2000, that saw FC Nantes Atlantique defeat the surprising amateur team of Calais RUFC from CFA 2-1 thanks to goals by Antoine Sibierski and Alain Caveglia....
. Calais, composed of doctors, dock workers, and office clerks, started the competition in the 5th round and, after defeating fellow amateurs, reached the Round of 64 where they faced Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
. Calais, after 120 minutes, were level 1–1 with Lille and defeated their Northern foes 7–6 on penalties. In the following two rounds, Calais defeated Langon-Castets and Cannes
AS Cannes
Association Sportive de Cannes Football is a French association football club based in Cannes. The club was formed 1902 as a sports club and currently play in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth division of French football. Cannes plays its home matches at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin...
. In the quarter-finals, Calais defeated Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
2–1 and on 12 April 2000, eclipsed Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
3–1 in the semi-finals 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. Unfortunately for Calais, their Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
run came to an end in the final with the club losing 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
Ligue de Football Professionnel
The Ligue de Football Professionnel , commonly known as the LFP, is a French governing body that runs the major professional football leagues in France. It was founded in 1944 and serves under the authority of the French Football Federation...
forming their own cup competition, the Coupe de la Ligue
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...
. More recently, amateur clubs have begun to move to more established stadiums for their Coupe de France matches with their primary reason being to earned 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 onto 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. Since 1927, the President of France has always attended the cup final and presented the trophy to the winning team's captain. President Gaston Doumergue
Gaston Doumergue
Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue was a French politician of the Third Republic.Doumergue came from a Protestant family. Beginning as a Radical, he turned more towards the political right in his old age. He served as Prime Minister from 9 December 1913 to 2 June 1914...
was the first French president to take part in the ceremony.
Competition format
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, extra time is played and if the match is still drawn, penalties are held. Prior to 1967, the competition had no extra time nor penalty shootouts and instead allowed replays, similar to the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
. This style was abandoned following three straight draws between Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
and amateur club Angoulême CFC
Angoulême CFC
Angoulême CFC is a French association football club from the city of Angoulême, currently playing in Division d'honneur of the Ligue du Centre-Ouest...
, 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. However, rounds in the competition are determined through each region in France
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
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. In the overseas departments and territories
Overseas departments and territories of France
The French Overseas Departments and Territories consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of the European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France , and consequently the...
, territories such as Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, Martinique, French Guyana, and Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
establish their own knockout competition, similar to the regions in France, though only one club from each region is allowed to enter. Territories like Mayotte
Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre , a smaller island, Petite-Terre , and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and...
, French Polynesia
French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
allow the winner of their cup competitions to enter the 7th round, such as when AS Mont-Dore
AS Mont-Dore
AS Mont-Dore is a New Caledonia football team playing in the local top division, the New Caledonia Division Honneur.The team is based in Le Mont-Dore, a commune in the suburbs of Nouméa, the capital city of the French territory.-Achievements:...
won the 2009 edition of the New Caledonia Cup
New Caledonia Cup
The New Caledonia Cup is New Caledonia's premier knockout tournament in men's football .-Previous winners:*1954: Indépendante 5-3 Uniforme Fayaoué *1955: no tournament*1956: PLGC 2-1 Ouvéa...
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 cup runners-up. If they have also qualified for the UEFA Champions League, the place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the league table.
Numbering
In Coupe de France matches, players are restricted to wearing the shirt numbers 1–18 regardless of the player's traditional number. The starters are given the numbers 1–11 with each player given a certain number based on his position. However, if a player wears a number between 1–11 domestically, he is allowed to wear that same number in Coupe de France matches unless he is among the substitutes at the start of the match, in which case the number is given to the player that is playing in his position.Sponsorship
The Coupe de France does not have a primary sponsor of the competition, but allows sponsors of the French Football FederationFrench Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
to showcase themselves on club's kits. Among them include SFR
SFR
SFR is a French mobile phone company. It has over 20 million customers, and provides over 4.6 million households with high-speed internet access...
, Caisse d'Epargne
Groupe Caisse d'Epargne
Groupe Caisse d'Epargne is a French semi-cooperative banking group, founded in 1818, with around 4700 branches in the country. The group is active in retail and private banking, as well as holding a significant stake in the publicly traded investment bank Natixis.-Operations:The group's most...
, Crédit Agricole
Crédit Agricole
Crédit Agricole S.A. is the largest retail banking group in France, second largest in Europe and the eighth largest in the world by Tier 1 capital according to The Banker magazine. It is also part of the CAC 40 stock market index....
, Sita-Suez
Sita (waste management)
SITA is the main brand representing Suez Environnement's waste subsidiaries in Europe, North America, the Asia Pacific zone and Australia....
, and Carrefour
Carrefour
Carrefour S.A. is an international hypermarket chain headquartered in Levallois-Perret, France. It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world...
.
Records
Olympique de MarseilleOlympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
have the honor of having won the most Coupe de France titles, winning ten, with their most recent coming during the 1988–89 season following their 4–3 victory over Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
. Marseille also have appeared in the most finals having played in 18. Marseille are notable in terms of losing in the competition as they are one of four clubs who have suffered two consecutive finals defeat with the southern coast
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
club losing to Paris Saint-Germain in 2006
Coupe de France Final 2006
The Coupe de France Final 2006 was a football match held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis on April 29, 2006, that saw Paris SG defeat Olympique de Marseille 2-1 thanks to goals by Bonaventure Kalou and Vikash Dhorasoo.-Match details:...
and falling to Sochaux
FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
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 Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal located within the city...
the following season
Coupe de France Final 2007
The Coupe de France Final 2007 was a football match held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis on May 12, 2007, that saw FC Sochaux-Montbéliard defeat Olympique de Marseille 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...
. Marseille are the only club of the four to lose consecutive Coupe de France finals twice. Paris Saint-Germain are second behind Marseille having won seven Coupe de France titles. The Parisian club are also the only club to have won both the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue in the same season having accomplished this in 1995 and 1998. Many clubs have won the league and cup double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
, the most recent being Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
who completed their double after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the 2008 final
Coupe de France Final 2008
The 2008 Coupe de France Final was a football match that was held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France on 24 May 2008. It was the 90th final in the Coupe de France's history. The final was contested between Paris Saint-Germain FC and Olympique Lyonnais...
.
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
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region has the most Coupe de France champions having produced 23. The region is followed by Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
with Marseille being the region's most successful club.
Managers Guy Roux and André Cheuva
André Cheuva
André Cheuva was a French footballer who played midfielder. After retiring he became a manager, and won 4 Coupe de France with Lille O.S.C..-References:*...
share the honor of having managed four Coupe de France winning clubs. The most successful players are Dominique Bathenay
Dominique Bathenay
Dominique Bathenay is a retired football midfielder from France, who last worked as Head Coach of United Arab Emirates.- Career :...
, Alain Roche
Alain Roche
Alain Roche is a former French association football defender. He spent significant time at the Paris Saint-Germain where he notably won the European Cup Winners' Cup...
, and Marceau Sommerlynck who all won five titles. Éric Pécout
Éric Pécout
Éric Pécout is a retired football striker from France, who obtained 5 caps for the French national team.-Titles:*French championship in 1977, 1980 with FC Nantes, 1982 with AS Monaco...
of Nantes and Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin
Jean-Pierre Papin is a former French professional football player who was European Footballer of the Year in 1991.Papin achieved his greatest success while playing for Olympique Marseille between 1986 and 1992...
are joint top-scorers of the competition final having each converted a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
in their only appearances in the ultimate match. In 1947, Roger Vandooren scored the fastest goal in final's history converting after 29 seconds for his club Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
in their 2–0 win over Strasbourg
RC Strasbourg
Racing Club de Strasbourg is a French association football club founded in 1906 and professional since 1933, based in the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace...
.
Media coverage
The Coupe de France currently has a broadcasting agreement with France TélévisionsFrance Télévisions
France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
, the French public national television broadcaster, and Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
. The French Football Federation reached an agreement with the broadcasters on 25 January 2010 agreeing to a four-year deal worth €4 million a season. The Coupe de France final will be televised on France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, the broadcaster's main channel. Abroad, the Coupe de France has an agreement with the Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
. The channel broadcasts the competition in Canada, Australia, Africa (select countries), and the United Kingdom.