60-585: Paris Football Club ( French pronunciation: [paʁi futbol klœb] ), commonly referred to as Paris FC or simply PFC , is a French professional football club based in Paris , that competes in the Ligue 2 , the second tier of French football . Paris FC play their home matches at the Stade Sébastien Charléty , which is located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris . Founded in 1969,
120-411: A UEFA Nations League title in 2021 . The France women's national football team represents the country in international women's football . France initially struggled on the international stage failing to qualify for three of the first FIFA Women's World Cups and the six straight UEFA European Championships before reaching the quarter-finals in the 1997 edition of the competition . However, since
180-490: A friendship with fans of SR Colmar , Hereford FC and in the past also fans of Stade Reims . The club has rivalries with fellow neighbours US Créteil and Red Star F.C. with whom they contest the Parisian derbies . Although both clubs are officially apolitical, due to Red Star fans left-wing political tendencies and PFC's past right-wing political tendencies, the derby is particularly fierce. The derby with US Créteil
240-554: A new strategic economic partner joined Paris FC to support the club's development and ambitions: the Kingdom of Bahrain. The deal was completed with a capital investment to improve the finances of the club, giving the kingdom 20 percent of the equity. Pierre Ferracci , the founder of the December 1983 established Alpha Group ( French : Groupe Alpha ) which owns its subsidiary the consulting and auditing firm Alpha-Secafi , remained
300-517: A repressive regime. Following the appeal from the NGOs, the Council of Paris voted an amendment for the allocation of a subsidy of €500,000 to the club. In the amendment, all the issues were kept in mind to ensure the inclusion of an “organization of additional actions to raise awareness of human rights and fight against all forms of discrimination”. Besides, the mention of private financial partnerships in
360-483: Is a geographical one as both clubs play in the southern suburbs of Paris. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Below are the notable former players who have represented Paris and its predecessors in league and international competition since
420-554: Is also reflected in the composition of the French World Cup winning team where only six of the 23 players were of European descent. France is a football superpower; by its footballers playing around the world, according to the CIES Football Observatory , in 2023, France is the second country in the world behind Brazil , with the most footballers playing abroad with 1,033. According to Statista , of
480-590: Is open to the best reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France, although only the amateur clubs are eligible for promotion to the Championnat National. During the course of a season, usually from August to May, each club plays the others in their respective group twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 30 games. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head results and head-to-head goal difference. At
540-479: Is open to the best reserve teams in France and amateur clubs in France, although only the amateur clubs are eligible for promotion to the Championnat National. The highest-placed amateur team in each pool are promoted, replaced by the 4 lowest-placed in the Championnat National. The Championnat National 3 is the 5th division in French football and normally consists of 168 teams in 12 groups of 14 organised to align with
600-621: 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
660-529: Is the second division of French football. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National . The league was created in 1934, a year after Ligue 1 and consisted of 23 clubs that were divided into two groups, Nord and Sud. Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain ranked fourth place in the top ten most popular sports clubs on social media in the world as of 7 February 2024: The Championnat National
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#1732798751455720-515: Is the third division of French football. Though the league has several clubs that are members of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, it is not governed by the organization primarily because of the LFP's refusal to divide its profits into smaller shares, so they can collaborate with the many amateur clubs in the league to help them become professional. The French Football Federation moderates the league, which
780-584: Is to Division 3 Féminine , contested by 24 fully professional clubs split into two groups. The fourth level is Régional 1 Féminine. The leagues based in the overseas departments and territories of France are run by their respective associations under the watch of the French Football Federation. Under the rules of the FFF, clubs in the leagues are allowed to participate in confederation competitions based on their regional locations. For example,
840-533: The Championnat de France amateur in 2006. Paris FC last played in Ligue 1 in the 1978–79 season . Though Paris FC have struggled domestically, the club has served as a springboard for several youth players who have gone on to have successful professional careers. Notable players who started their careers at the club includes Jean-Christophe Thouvenel , Mamadou Sakho , Tijani Belaid , Aymen Belaïd , Gabriel Obertan and Ibrahima Konaté . Sakho, Konaté, and
900-527: The France national football team . All teams are run by their respective federation under the authority of the French Football Federation. As an overseas department of the French Republic , each national team is not a member of FIFA , therefore they are not eligible to enter the World Cup . However, since inhabitants of the overseas departments are French citizens, players are eligible to play for
960-511: The France national football team . Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, and French Guiana are associate members of CONCACAF and are full members of the Caribbean Football Union , and are thus eligible for all competitions organized by both, while Réunion are associate members of CAF . Indeed, according to the status of the FFF (article 34, paragraph 6): "[...]Under the control of related continental confederations, and with
1020-407: The France national under-16 football team and ending with the France national under-21 football team . Since the coaching tenure of Aimé Jacquet , there is an unwritten rule among senior national team coaches that players called up to the national team must have had prior international experience with the under-21 team. The following overseas department national teams act as feeder teams for
1080-487: The French Football Federation changed the competition's format creating two separate tables; one for the amateur clubs and another for the reserve teams of professional clubs. The dual tables allowed the league to declare a champion for the amateurs and the reserves with four team tournaments being held following the conclusion of league play to determine the champions. At the same time the competition
1140-521: The Ligue du Football Amateur . The LFA, under the watch of the French Football Federation, is responsible for administering and federating the actions of the regional and district leagues. Division 1 Féminine is the top league for women's football clubs in France. Division 1 Féminine is ranked the best league in Europe according to UEFA . The league was originally created in 1918 by Alice Milliat and ran for 12 successful seasons until women's football
1200-423: The regional leagues . The twelve teams (both amateur and reserves of professional teams in higher divisions) that top their league are promoted to Championnat National 2. Relegation from Championnat National 3 is defined by both position in the group and the region the club belongs to. Normally, one club is relegated to each regional league that feeds that group. Some of regional leagues are organised and managed by
1260-406: The third tier its popularity started growing again, however the club currently only attracts in the region of a few hundred to very low thousands fans for each match. In 2000s the club used to have a supporter group called Blue Wolves founded in 2008. Officially apolitical , they tended to have right-wing views. However they were disbanded in 2010 after several hooligan incidents occurred,
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#17327987514551320-517: The 38 professional football clubs that contest football in France (18 in Ligue 1 and 20 in Ligue 2). Ligue 1 is the French professional league for football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system . Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Ligue 2. Ligue 1 is one of the top national leagues, currently ranked fifth in Europe behind
1380-478: The Belaïd brothers have since become senior internationals for their respective national teams, while Thouvenel went on to win a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics . Manager Roger Lemerre started his managerial career with the club before leading France to titles at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup . In an effort to re-launch professional football in the city of Paris, Paris Football Club
1440-552: The CFA, which was founded in 1993 as National 2 and lasted for five years before being converted to the CFA name in 1998 and the National 2 name in 2017. Some clubs that participate in the league are semi-professional . The matches in the league attract on average between 800 and 1,000 spectators per match. However, this average is dragged down by the minuscule turnouts for the pros' home reserve matches. The amateur championship of France
1500-462: The Championnat National 2 operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat National and Championnat National 3 , the fifth division of French football . Seasons run from August to May, with teams in the three groups will playing 30 games each. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played during weekday evenings. Play is regularly suspended the last weekend before Christmas for two weeks before returning in
1560-424: The Championnat National in the process. In 2000, the club finished 17th and were relegated to the Championnat de France amateur . Paris spent six years in the league before returning to National for the 2006–07 season. After a successful 2014–15 campaign, the club gained promotion to Ligue 2, the French second division, alongside its local rival Red Star F.C. However, it would stay in Ligue 2 for only one year and
1620-548: The English Premier League , Spanish La Liga , Italian Serie A , and the German Bundesliga . Ligue 1 was inaugurated on 11 September 1932 under the name National before switching to Division 1 after a year of existence. The name lasted until 2002 before switching to its current name. The current champions of France are Paris Saint-Germain , who won a record twelfth title in 2024 . Ligue 2
1680-623: The France national team. Lilian Thuram and Bernard Lama , who were born in Guadeloupe and Martinique , respectively, were a part of the winning team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup . Also on the team were Thierry Henry and Bernard Diomède , who, though born in metropolitan France, were descendants of parents from overseas departments. Currently, Florent Malouda (French Guiana), William Gallas , Mikaël Silvestre , Michaël Ciani (Guadeloupe), Nicolas Anelka (Martinique), and Guillaume Hoarau and Florent Sinama Pongolle (Réunion) are members of
1740-510: The French amazingly." Modern football was introduced nine years later in 1872 by English sailors playing in Le Havre in 1872. Today, football in France is especially being played successfully by people of non-European origin, in particular people of Subsaharan origin and people from North Africa who are overrepresented in the Banlieue . The importance of players of non-European origin
1800-403: The Kingdom of Bahrain , a 20% share holder of the club. The Council of Paris accused the kingdom of distracting the general public from its abuses via a popular sport like football, committing a practice known as ‘ sportswashing ’. The council also demanded the release of detainees put on death row by Bahrain on the basis of confessions acquired via torture methods. As one of the oldest partners of
1860-466: The Paris FC club, Mairie de Paris was called for pursuing its commitment towards the defense of human rights. The NGOs had highlighted the human rights records and the sportswashing attempts of Bahrain, under which the club's jerseys promoted “Victorious Bahrain” and the grounds of Charléty stadium had “Explore Bahrain” advertisements. Such publicity was considered inappropriate, as Bahrain was seen as
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1920-570: The agreement of the FFF, those leagues can organize international sport events at a regional level or set up teams in order to participate to them." A special rule of the CONCACAF Gold Cup only allows players to join the team if they have not played for France during the previous five years. On the other hand, any player joining the team is allowed to join the France national team afterward with no time restrictions. The use of overseas department players has been extremely beneficial for
1980-511: The amendment was believed to prompt a withdrawal of the “Explore Bahrain” advertising panels in the Charléty stadium. In October 2024, it was reported that the Arnault family would purchase a future majority ownership stake along with a minority ownership by Red Bull GmbH . The club used to be the biggest and most well supported in the city, with over 20,000 supporter members at the time of
2040-511: The beginning of the new millennium , France have become a mid-tier national team and one of the most consistent in Europe , having qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 and reaching the quarter-finals in the last three consecutive European Championships. They also hosted the 2019 Women's World Cup , reaching the quarter-finals. The France national youth football teams consists of age-specific national teams beginning with
2100-477: The best reserve teams of each group being inserted into a tournament to decide the reserves' champion. In 2017 the FFF reorganised amateur football along the lines of the 2016 reorganisation of the Regions of France , creating Championnat National 2 and Championnat National 3 to replace CFA and CFA2. For National 2 this was in effect just a change of name, whilst National 3 saw a major restructure. As part of
2160-650: The champion of the Réunion Premier League is allowed inclusion into the CAF Champions League . The most important cup competition in France is the Coupe de France . However, several other national cups are targeted at clubs at different levels. The following teams have qualified for the last eight of the European Cup / UEFA Champions League . The France national football team represents France in international football. France
2220-420: The club merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain in 1970. In 1972, the club split from Paris Saint-Germain resulting in the current Paris FC. Unlike its counterpart, which has gone on to establish a solid foundation, Paris FC has struggled to establish itself, having spent the majority of its existence playing in the amateur divisions. The club's highest honour to date was winning its group in
2280-474: The club split from Paris Saint-Germain after coming under pressure from the capital city's mayor, who refused to support a non-Parisian club (the club had originally been situated in nearby Saint-Germain-en-Laye ). As a result, a bitter split occurred and both Paris FC and Paris Saint-Germain remained as separate football club with the main agreement being that Paris FC had the right to keep the splitting entity's first division and professional status, as well as all
2340-418: The club's formation. In 1970 the club merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain F.C. , but quickly left the merger. In the 1973 season, the first after leaving, the club still averaged an attendance of 13,202. However, after that, the two clubs' fortunes varied drastically, and as PSG's popularity rose, PFC fell into obscurity and languished in the amateur divisions. It is only when it reached
2400-548: The club's foundation in 1969. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club. For a complete list of Paris players, see Category:Paris FC players Football in France 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 (FFF, Fédération Française de Football)
2460-427: 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,
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2520-418: The estimated 130,000 professional football players worldwide, 6,368 originated from France, the third highest number in the world after Brazil (10,694) and Mexico (9,223). The top two divisions of French football, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 , are governed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel . The league is responsible for organizing, overseeing and managing the top two leagues and is also responsible for
2580-502: The first division, the remaining entity that was PFC was administratively relegated to the fourth division. Due to having limited resources, Paris fell to the Division d'Honneur after one season and, subsequently, spent four seasons in the fifth division before returning to Division 4 in 1988. Another promotion the following season saw Paris earn a place in Division 3. Paris remained in the division for 12 years becoming inaugural members of
2640-513: The installation in the Parc des Princes. After four years of playing in Division 2, Paris returned to the first division for the 1978–79 season . However, the season was a difficult one and resulted in the club falling back to Division 2 after one season. Paris FC have since yet to return to the top-flight league of France. In 1983, Paris FC, then led by the industrialist Jean-Luc Lagardère , merged with Racing Club de France . While Racing remained in
2700-420: The last of which during a match against FC Gueugnon . They were replaced by the group Old Clan , founded in 2010, and ultras group Ultras Lutetia founded in the summer of 2014. After the expulsion of PSG fans from Parc des Princes in 2010, PFC has attracted some of that support, particularly from the left-wing group Virage Auteuil , but also a few from right-wing group Boulogne Boys . The fans have
2760-603: The main shareholder with a contribution of 77 percent. In addition to this investment, the Kingdom of Bahrain became the main sponsor of the club. The Council of Paris was to vote on renewing the yearly subvention that the City of Paris allocates to the Paris Club, several non-profit organizations based in Paris, including ADHRB called for the City of Paris to hold a dialogue on the abuse of human rights and death penalty practiced in
2820-505: The national team who either hail from or whose families hail from the overseas departments. Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included. Championnat de France amateur The Championnat National 2 , commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur ( CFA ), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of French football league system behind Ligue 1 , Ligue 2 and Championnat National . Contested by 48 clubs,
2880-480: The professional players. Paris Saint-Germain were, on the other hand, administratively relegated to the third division and given all the former entity's amateur players. At the beginning of the 1972–73 season , Paris were playing in the first division hosting matches at the Parc des Princes . Two seasons later, the club was relegated to the second division, which coincided with Paris Saint-Germain's rise to top-flight and
2940-427: The restructure of the French football leagues system between 2022 and 2026, the league was reduced from 64 teams across 4 groups in 2022–23, to 56 across 4 groups in 2023–24, and will have 48 teams across 3 groups from 2024–25. For the 2024–25 season, forty-eight clubs participate. The clubs are split into three parallel groups of 16 with their group affiliation being loosely based on the regional location . The league
3000-450: The second highest number of registered players in Europe after Germany . The first football club was introduced to France in 1863 as described in a newspaper article by The Scotsman , which stated "A number of English gentlemen living in Paris have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in the Bois de Boulogne , by permission of the authorities and surprise
3060-406: The second week of January. The Championnat de France amateur was initially founded by the French Football Federation in 1927 and was composed of the regional amateur league champions. The league served as the first division of French football until 1929 before the league was converted to the professional league that exists today in 1932. The current incarnation of the league is a simple rebrand of
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#17327987514553120-483: The table but at one stage occupied the promotion places. In the 2018–19 season, Paris finished 4th and contested the play-offs against RC Lens , but lost the penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw. On 30 April 2021 Paris FC, along with Angers , were handed a transfer ban by FIFA for violation of regulations regarding relay transfers in August 2020. The ban was effective for the summer 2021 transfer window. In July 2020,
3180-727: The tournament on three occasions, including their victorious 1984 campaign. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became the first national team to win the three most important men's titles organised by FIFA : the FIFA World Cup , the FIFA Confederations Cup , and the Olympic Tournament . This would be followed with Argentina and Brazil 's victories at the Summer Olympics in 2004 and 2016. France additionally went on to win
3240-439: Was banned in France . The league was refounded in 1974 and officially reinstated in 1975. It is contested by 12 clubs. The league operates on a system of promotion and relegation with lower leagues and is governed by the French Football Federation . The league is known as D1 Arkema. Lyon has won the most league titles at 16. Division 2 Féminine is the second-tier of French women's football, contested by 12 clubs. Relegation
3300-408: Was created in 1993 under the name National 2 as an heir to the now-defunct Division 3 . The league's debut coincided with the creation of the Championnat National , the third division of French football, which is commonly known as National . For the first three years of the competition, an amateur champion was crowned in France regardless of whether the club was amateur or a reserve team . In 1998,
3360-460: Was founded in 1993 under the name National 1 . Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Championnat de France amateur . The Championnat National 2 is the fourth division of French football and normally features 72 football clubs. Most clubs that participate in the league are amateur clubs, but a small number of clubs are semi-professional. The CFA consists of 72 clubs spread into 4 parallel groups of 18. It
3420-406: Was founded on 1 August 1969. The objective of the club was to be playing in the first division by 1970. An attempted merger with CS Sedan Ardennes was refused so Paris went looking in the second division and, subsequently, merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain , the professional club that plays in Ligue 1 . The current incarnation of Paris FC came into being in 1972 when
3480-550: Was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and are one of eight national teams to have won the competition, which they did in 1998 when they hosted the Cup, defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final . They won their second world title 20 years later, after defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final of the 2018 edition in Russia. France also won two European Championships in 1984 and 2000 , and hosted
3540-405: Was relegated back to the Championnat National for the 2016–17 season. In the 2016–17 season, Paris FC made the playoff/relegation final against US Orleans but lost over the two legged game on aggregate. Paris FC were then administratively promoted to Ligue 2 after SC Bastia were demoted to the third division for financial irregularities. For the 2017/2018 Ligue 2 season, Paris FC finished 8th in
3600-420: Was renamed Championnat de France Amateur (CFA) . In 2001, the federation ended this style and reverted to the original format allowing both the amateur clubs and reserve teams to be grouped together based on their regional location. The winner of each group would then earn promotion to the Championnat National, unless the club is a reserve team. Meanwhile, the reserve teams continued to use the previous format with
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