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| Full name | Stade de Reims | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Les rouges et blancs (The Red and Whites)[1] | |||
| Founded | 18 June 1931; 94 years ago (18 June 1931) | |||
| Ground | Stade Auguste-Delaune | |||
| Capacity | 21,029[2] | |||
| President | Jean-Pierre Caillot | |||
| Head coach | Karel Geraerts | |||
| League | Ligue 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1, 16th of 18 (relegated) | |||
| Website | stade-de-reims.com | |||
 Current season | ||||
Stade de Reims (French pronunciation:[staddəʁɛ̃s]) is a French professionalfootball club based inReims. The club was formed in 1931 and plays inLigue 2, the Second tier offootball in France. Reims plays home matches at theStade Auguste Delaune.
Reims is one of themost successful clubs inFrench football history having won six Ligue 1 titles, twoCoupe de France trophies, and fiveTrophée des champions titles. The club has also performed well on European level having finished as runners-up in the1956 and1959 editions of theEuropean Cup,[3] and winning theLatin Cup andCoppa delle Alpi in1953 and 1977, respectively. However, since the 1980s, Reims have struggled to get back to their zenith. The club hovered betweenLigue 2 and the Championnat National for over thirty years after their relegation from the top flight in1979. In 2012, they were promoted back to Ligue 1, were relegated again in 2016, but returned two years later.
Reims is viewed as a legendary club within French football circles, not only due to its domestic and European accolades, but its contribution towards theFrance national team through the 1940s and 1950s. They were largely responsible for the firstGolden Generation of French football with Reims playersRoger Marche,Raymond Kopa,Just Fontaine,Jean Vincent,Robert Jonquet,Armand Penverne,Dominique Colonna, andRoger Piantoni in the team that reached the semi-finals at the1958 FIFA World Cup (third place).
Stade de Reims was founded in 1910 under the nameSociété Sportive du Parc Pommery under the guidance of Marquis Melchior de Polignac, a Frenchman who later went on to serve on theInternational Olympic Committee.[4] The club adopted its current name on 18 June 1931.
Despite the country adopting professional football in 1932, Reims remained an amateur club until 1935 after the club won theChampionnat de France amateur under the leadership ofScotsmanBilly Aitken. The club reached Division 1 for the first time in the1945–46 season, the first championship following the conclusion of World War II. During the same year, the club promoteddefenderRobert Jonquet to the senior team and signedRoger Marche fromOlympique de Charleville. Together, the two went on to become, arguably, the club's most famous players in its history.
Reims won its firstDivision 1 championship in1949. Led by a talented backline of Marche, Jonquet, andArmand Penverne, as well as midfieldersAlbert Batteux andMichel Leblond, and an underratedstriker trio ofPierre Flamion,Pierre Sinibaldi, and Pierre Bini, Reims won the league by a single point over Lille. The following season, the club won theCoupe de France defeatingRacing Paris 2–1 inthe final.
After the season, managerHenri Roessler departed the club and longtime player Batteux took the reins. The team's subsequent rise in the sport led to the signings ofRaymond Kopa andRaoul Giraudo. In 1953, Reims won its second league titlewinning the league by four points. That same year, the club won theLatin Cup becoming the first French football club to attain the honour. The victory was cited as a coup for France after the country finished three straight years as runners-up in the competition. After the 1954 season, Marche left to play for the Racing team in Paris. In 1955, Reimswon its third title in six seasons. The championship led to the club's qualification for the newly createdEuropean Cup.
In the inaugural edition of the European Cup, Reims reachedthe final where the team was defeated 4–3 by Spanish clubReal Madrid. Reims controlled the match from the outset scoring two goals in the first ten minutes. However, two first half goals byAlfredo Di Stéfano andHéctor Rial for Madrid cancelled out Reims' early attacks. In the second half, Reims took the lead throughMichel Hidalgo, but within minutes, the match was levelled courtesy of a goal fromMarquitos. Real's winner in the 79th minute ended Reims' hopes of winning the first edition of the European Cup. In the following season, Reims lost prominent midfielder Kopa to Madrid, but still were able to recruitFrench internationalsJust Fontaine,Jean Vincent,Roger Piantoni, andDominique Colonna to the team. After early struggles, the additions paid off with the club winning its third title of the decade in the1957–58 season. The team also won the Coupe de France after beatingNîmes Olympique 3–1 inthe final, thus achievingthe double.
In the1958–59 edition of the European Cup, Reims returned tothe final to face, for the second time, Real Madrid. Aside from Kopa switching sides and the arrival of Fontaine, Colonna, Piantoni, and Vincent to Reims, the line-ups were nearly identical to the previous meeting. However, an undeterred Madrid, who had already won the competition three times, cruised through to a victory with a convincing 2–0 win. After the season, Penverne departed the club. The team was, however, boosted by the return of Kopa who, subsequently led the team to its fifth league title in 11 seasons in1960.
Following the season, Jonquet retired from international football and left Reims for Strasbourg. He was followed by Giraudo and Leblond. The departures failed to hinder Reims' performances domestically as the team won the league in1962. The championship capped an amazing career for Just Fontaine, who, subsequently, retired from football. In the ensuing season, which was longtime manager Albert Batteux's last, Reims finished runner-up toAS Monaco in the league and, the following season, shocked many by finishing 17th, which resulted in the club falling to the second division. The relegation led to the departures or retirements of many of the players who were a part of Reims' dynastic run in the 1950s; all except for Kopa who remained with Reims until 1967.
Reims returned to top-flight for the1966–67 season after two seasons in the second division. However, the stint proved short with Reims finishing 19th. In 1970, the club returned to top-flight and remained in the league for nearly a decade. Reims' best performance in the league during its nine-year stint was finishing 5th in the1975–76 season. Reims were relegated in1979 and didn't return to the first division of French football for 33 years. In the ensuing season in Division 2, Reims was limited financially and was forced to field a much younger team during the campaign.
Despite the return of former popular playerCarlos Bianchi as manager during the mid-1980s, the club failed to return to Division 1. Reims did surprise many by reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe de France in back-to-back seasons in 1987 and 1988. As the years wore on, the club's financial situation began to take a turn for the worse and, in 1991, Reims was administratively relegated to Division 3 after its failure to find a buyer to help alleviate the club's debt, which had exceeded over ₣50 million. In October 1991, the club underwentliquidation and changed its name toStade de Reims Champagne FC. The club spent the 1991–92 season in Division 3 and were, surprisingly, declared ineligible to compete in the league ahead of its final league match in May 1992 after a judicial liquidation resulted in the stoppage of the club's activities. In the ensuing months, all aspects of the club (its records, trophies, etc.) were auctioned off. (Upon the club's re-introduction in 1992, a newFrench law restricting alcohol advertising banned their old logo, which included a bottle of wine on top of a football; the club had no formal logo until 1999, when the old club name was restored.)
Reims was reborn in July 1992 under the nameStade de Reims Champagne. The club began play in the Division d'Honneur and spent two seasons in the league before earning promotion to theChampionnat National. Reims spent the final years of the century playing in National and the Championnat de France amateur. In November 1996, most of the club's items that were sold in the 1992 auction were re-acquired under the assistance of the Alain Afflelou retail chain. In July 1999, the club changed its name back toStade de Reims and, after three years, were rewarded with professional status after earning promotion back toLigue 2.
The club's return to Ligue 2 in 2002 was brief. Reims finished bottom of the league. In the next season playing in National, Reims won the league returning to Ligue 2. The club spent the next five seasons playing in the second division failing to finish in the top half of the table in every campaign. In the2008–09 season, Reims were relegated from Ligue 2 and, like its previous relegation, responded by returning to the league after one season in National after finishing 2nd. Reims finished Ligue 2 as 10th in 2010–11 season. In the2011–12 season, Reims finally finished the league as runner-up and returned to Ligue 1 after 33 years.
On 14 May 2016, Reims were relegated to Ligue 2 after a four year stay in the top flight.[5] On 16 August 2016,Real Madrid played a friendly against Reims to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1956 European Cup final which both teams were involved in. Real Madrid won 5–3.[6] On 21 April 2018, Reims were promoted back toLigue 1 after a two year absence finishing first and claiming the Ligue 2 title.[7]
In the2018–19 season, Reims finished in 8th place, defeating championsParis Saint-Germain 3–1 in the final game of the year.[8] In the2019–20 season, Reims were ranked in the 6th place, to qualify to the2020–21 UEFA Europa League, and to play their first match in European competitions since 13 March 1963 againstFeyenoord, which ended 1–1 in the1962–63 European Cup.[9]
In the2024–25 season, Reims reached theCoupe de France final against Paris Saint-Germain but lost 3–0.[10] Meanwhile, they lost their last three Ligue 1 matches, dropping to 16th place, while a stoppage-time winner forLe Havre allowed them to surpass Reims in the standings on the final matchday.[11] Reims then facedFC Metz in therelegation play-off and were defeated 3–1 at home after extra time, resulting in their brief relegation, untilLyon were administratively relegated due to financial reasons, leading to Reims surviving. However, after an appeal Lyon were relieved from relegation and Reims were relegated again.[12][13]
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons/Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Ligue 1 | 6 | 1948–49,1952–53,1954–55,1957–58,1959–60,1961–62 |
| Ligue 2 | 2 | 1965–66,2017–18 | |
| Championnat National | 1 | 2003–04 | |
| CFA 2 | 2 | 1998,2015–16 | |
| Division d'Honneur Nord-Est | 1 | 1994 | |
| Championnat de France amateur | 1 | 1935 | |
| Coupe de France | 2 | 1949–50,1957–58 | |
| Coupe de la Ligue | 1 | 1990–91 | |
| Trophée des Champions | 4 | 1955,1958,1960,1966 | |
| International | Latin Cup | 1 | 1953[14] |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–56 | European Cup | 1R |  AGF Aarhus | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| QF |  Vörös Lobogó | 4–2 | 4–4 | 8–6 | ||
| SF |  Hibernian | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| Final |  Real Madrid | 3–4 | ||||
| 1958–59 | European Cup | PR |  Ards | 6–2 | 4–1 | 10–3 |
| 1R |  HPS | 4–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | ||
| QF |  Standard Liège | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | ||
| SF |  Young Boys | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||
| Final | Real Madrid | 0–2 | ||||
| 1960–61 | European Cup | PR |  Jeunesse Esch | 6–1 | 5–0 | 11–1 |
| 1R |  Burnley | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–4 | ||
| 1962–63 | European Cup | 1R |  Austria Wien | 5–0 | 2–3 | 7–3 |
| QF |  Feyenoord | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | ||
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | 2QR | Servette | — | 1–0 | — |
| 3QR | Fehérvár | — | 0–0 (1–4p) | — | ||
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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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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Below are the notable former players who have represented Stade de Reims inleague and international competition since the club's foundation in 1910. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club.
Albert BatteuxArmand PenverneBruno RodzikCédric FauréDominique ColonnaJacques FavreJean TemplinJean VincentJust FontaineLéon GlovackiLucien MullerMarcel AubourMichel LeblondPierre FlamionPierre SinibaldiRaoul GiraudoRaymond KopaRené BliardRené-Jean JacquetRobert JonquetRobert SiatkaRoger MarcheRoger PiantoniSimon Zimny
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En 1953, derrotamos al AC Milan por 3-0 en la final de la Copa Latina (antecesora de la Copa de Europa)
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