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| Full name | Union Sportive Boulogne Côte d'Opale | |
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| Founded | 1898; 127 years ago (1898) | |
| Ground | Stade de la Libération, Boulogne-sur-Mer | |
| Capacity | 9,534 | |
| President | Vincent Boutillier | |
| Manager | Fabien Dagneaux | |
| League | Ligue 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Championnat National, 3rd of 18 (promoted) | |
| Website | usbco.com | |
Union Sportive Boulogne Côte d'Opale (French pronunciation:[ynjɔ̃spɔʁtivbulɔɲkotdɔpal]; commonly referred to asUS Boulogne,USBCO (French pronunciation:[y.ɛs.be.se.o]) or frequently, simplyBoulogne) is aFrench association football club based in thecommune ofBoulogne-sur-Mer. The club was founded in 1898 and currently plays inLigue 2, the second level ofFrench football, having been promoted from theChampionnat National at the end of2024–25 season due to AC Ajaccio being relegated for financial reasons.
The club was formed in 1898 and its achievements are comparatively minor, with their biggest feat to date consisting of reaching the semi-finals during the 1936–37 edition of theCoupe de France, and oneLigue 1 season in2009–10. Boulogne play their home matches at theStade de la Libération, which seats 15,004, having previously seated only 7,000 prior to its renovation in 2007.
US Boulogne were originally founded in December 1898 by a group of young local athletes. While they mainly focused originally on athletic events, they created a football team to provide themselves with sporting competition in the winter months, and made a decent job in their first few years as a football club. Boulogne won the Maritime Championship three years running between 1904 and 1906. They next won the Championship in 1909 and their final victory of this division was in 1922. In 1924, Boulogne moved to the Northern Championship and fared well. The team also did well in theCoupe de France – reaching the quarterfinals in 1929 and the last 16 three times.
In 1926, Boulogne won the Northern League and only six years later, they decided to become a professional club. In 1935, under chairman Marcel Lacroix, the team joined the professional leagues. However, they played averagely in Division Two but there were a few bright sparks in the team. The Coupe de France 1937 competition saw Boulogne reach the semi-finals, but they were convincingly beaten byFC Sochaux 6–0. After the war, Boulogne, reverted to amateur status – and only decided to become a professional team again in 1957, when they were re-elected into Division Two. They stayed comfortably in Division Two for 22 years but then plummeted through the divisions – suffering consecutive relegations. The Coupe de France competition only provided little respite, as the team made the last 16 three times.
Robert Senechal arrived in 1983 and stabilised the club in Division Four. They missed out on promotion by a narrow margin in 1984 – but were finally promoted in 1991. However, it was short-lived and they were relegated the following season. In June 1994, it was announced that Boulogne were in serious debt – owing ₣3 million.
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Mayor of Boulougne and billionaire Jean Muselet intervened to save the club and appointed Jacques Wattez as chairman. Under the leadership of Wattez, the club adopted a new official name – Union Sportive Boulogne Côte d'Opale – in July 1994. as a new company, the debts of the club were wiped and Boulogne – although still struggling in Division Four – reached the last sixteen of the Coupe de France again in1997–98. They earned a home tie against Ligue 1 sideOlympique de Marseille, losing 1–0. In the following edition of the cup, they reached the last 32 before losing 2–1 at home toLigue 1 neighboursLille OSC. On 17 March 1999, the club marked their centenary by hostingLiverpool – managed byGérard Houllier of nearbyThérouanne – in a friendly and winning 2–1.[1]
In 2004, Boulogne hiredPhilippe Montanier in his first job in senior management.[2] He won promotion to theChampionnat National in his first season,[3] and toLigue 2 with a 2–1 victory overSC Toulon on 11 May 2007. Boulogne stayed up on the last day of the2007–08 Ligue 2 season with a last-second win overChamois Niortais F.C., who needed a draw to avoid the drop themselves.[4]
The2008–09 season saw Boulogne win promotion on the final day of the season after beatingSC Amiens 4–0, replacingRC Strasbourg in the final promotion place by a single point; strikerGrégory Thil finished top scorer with 18 goals. Montanier left forValenciennes FC and was replaced byLaurent Guyot, former academy director atFC Nantes.[5] They stayed just one season, being relegated in19th place with 31 points; the first of their seven wins was in the second game on 16 August 2009, 2–1 at home toGrenoble Foot 38.[6] In the same season, the team reached the quarter-finals of the2009–10 Coupe de France, losing 3–1 away to fourth-tierUS Quevilly.[7]
Boulogne were relegated at the end of the2011–12 Ligue 2 season, ending their five-year spell in the professional leagues.[8] The team reached the quarter-finals of the2014–15 Coupe de France, losing on penalties toAS Saint-Étienne after a 1–1 home draw.[9]
In March 2020, Boulogne were third in Championnat National when the season was prematurely ended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. They were denied an opportunity for promotion when the FFF executive committee announced that the usual playoff between 18th in Ligue 2 and 3rd in Championnat National would not go ahead.[10] The team finished bottom of the2021–22 Championnat National table, and were relegated toChampionnat National 2 after 17 years in the top three divisions.[11] The team nearly suffered a second consecutive relegation in the2022–23 Championnat National 2, surviving in 9th place after an improved second half of the season.[12]
On 27 April 2024, Boulogne secure promotion toChampionnat National from next season, champions ofChampionnat National 2 in 2023–24 season after defeatRacing CFF with score 3-1 and the club return to third tier after two years.
For the 2025–26 season, Boulogne gets promoted toLigue 2 due toAC Ajaccio getting relegated for financial reasons.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Fabien DagneauxAnthony Lecointe Hugo Stevenart Antoine Decaix
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