Stade de Reims

French association football club

Not to be confused with Stade de Reims Féminines.

Football club

Stade de Reims

Full name| Stade de Reims
Nickname(s)| 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

Home colours

Away colours

|

Current season

Stade de Reims (French pronunciation: [stad də ʁɛ̃s]) is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1931 and plays in Ligue 2, the Second tier of football in France. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Auguste Delaune.

Reims is one of the most successful clubs in French football history having won six Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France trophies, and five Trophée des champions titles. The club has also performed well on European level having finished as runners-up in the 1956 and 1959 editions of the European Cup,[3] and winning the Latin Cup and Coppa delle Alpi in 1953 and 1977, respectively. However, since the 1980s, Reims have struggled to get back to their zenith. The club hovered between Ligue 2 and the Championnat National for over thirty years after their relegation from the top flight in 1979. 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 the France national team through the 1940s and 1950s. They were largely responsible for the first Golden Generation of French football with Reims players Roger Marche, Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine, Jean Vincent, Robert Jonquet, Armand Penverne, Dominique Colonna, and Roger Piantoni in the team that reached the semi-finals at the 1958 FIFA World Cup (third place).

## History

[edit]

Stade de Reims was founded in 1910 under the name Société Sportive du Parc Pommery under the guidance of Marquis Melchior de Polignac, a Frenchman who later went on to serve on the International 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 the Championnat de France amateur under the leadership of Scotsman Billy Aitken. The club reached Division 1 for the first time in the 1945–46 season, the first championship following the conclusion of World War II. During the same year, the club promoted defender Robert Jonquet to the senior team and signed Roger Marche from Olympique de Charleville. Together, the two went on to become, arguably, the club's most famous players in its history.

Reims won its first Division 1 championship in 1949. Led by a talented backline of Marche, Jonquet, and Armand Penverne, as well as midfielders Albert Batteux and Michel Leblond, and an underrated striker trio of Pierre Flamion, Pierre Sinibaldi, and Pierre Bini, Reims won the league by a single point over Lille. The following season, the club won the Coupe de France defeating Racing Paris 2–1 in the final.

After the season, manager Henri Roessler departed the club and longtime player Batteux took the reins. The team's subsequent rise in the sport led to the signings of Raymond Kopa and Raoul Giraudo. In 1953, Reims won its second league title winning the league by four points. That same year, the club won the Latin 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, Reims won its third title in six seasons. The championship led to the club's qualification for the newly created European Cup.

In the inaugural edition of the European Cup, Reims reached the final where the team was defeated 4–3 by Spanish club Real Madrid. Reims controlled the match from the outset scoring two goals in the first ten minutes. However, two first half goals by Alfredo Di Stéfano and Héctor Rial for Madrid cancelled out Reims' early attacks. In the second half, Reims took the lead through Michel Hidalgo, but within minutes, the match was levelled courtesy of a goal from Marquitos. 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 recruit French internationals Just Fontaine, Jean Vincent, Roger Piantoni, and Dominique Colonna to the team. After early struggles, the additions paid off with the club winning its third title of the decade in the 1957–58 season. The team also won the Coupe de France after beating Nîmes Olympique 3–1 in the final, thus achieving the double.

In the 1958–59 edition of the European Cup, Reims returned to the 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 in 1960.

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 in 1962. 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 to AS 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 the 1966–67 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 the 1975–76 season. Reims were relegated in 1979 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 player Carlos 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 underwent liquidation and changed its name to Stade 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 new French 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 name Stade de Reims Champagne. The club began play in the Division d'Honneur and spent two seasons in the league before earning promotion to the Championnat 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 to Stade de Reims and, after three years, were rewarded with professional status after earning promotion back to Ligue 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 the 2008–09 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 the 2011–12 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 to Ligue 1 after a two year absence finishing first and claiming the Ligue 2 title.[7]

In the 2018–19 season, Reims finished in 8th place, defeating champions Paris Saint-Germain 3–1 in the final game of the year.[8] In the 2019–20 season, Reims were ranked in the 6th place, to qualify to the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League, and to play their first match in European competitions since 13 March 1963 against Feyenoord, which ended 1–1 in the 1962–63 European Cup.[9]

In the 2024–25 season, Reims reached the Coupe 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 for Le Havre allowed them to surpass Reims in the standings on the final matchday.[11] Reims then faced FC Metz in the relegation play-off and were defeated 3–1 at home after extra time, resulting in their brief relegation, until Lyon 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]

## Honours

[edit]

Stade de Reims honours  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]

## European record

[edit]

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 (1–4 p)  | —

## Players

[edit]

For a list of all former and current Stade de Reims players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Stade de Reims players.

### Current squad

[edit]

As of 15 August 2025.[15]

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. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

2  | DF |  KEN | Joseph Okumu
3  | DF |  JPN | Hiroki Sekine
4  | DF |  BEL | Maxime Busi
5  | DF |  FRA | Nicolas Pallois
6  | MF |  FRA | Valentin Atangana
8  | MF |  CIV | Yaya Fofana
9  | FW |  DEN | Mohamed Daramy
10  | MF |  MLT | Teddy Teuma
11  | FW |  FRA | Amine Salama
14  | MF |  GER | Reda Khadra
17  | MF |  JPN | Keito Nakamura
18  | DF |  ESP | Sergio Akieme
19  | FW |  USA | Jordan Pefok
20  | GK |  FRA | Alexandre Olliero
22  | FW |  CIV | Oumar Diakité
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

23  | MF |  FRA | Yohan Demoncy
24  | MF |  CIV | Mory Gbane
27  | FW |  GAM | Adama Bojang
29  | GK |  FRA | Ewen Jaouen
30  | MF |  IRL | John Patrick
31  | DF |  SWE | Malcolm Jeng
58  | MF |  MLI | Thiemoko Diarra
67  | FW |  FRA | Mamadou Diakhon
73  | FW |  IRL | Ike Orazi
85  | FW |  NGA | Hafiz Umar Ibrahim
86  | MF |  CIV | Patrick Zabi
87  | MF |  MLI | Ange Martial Tia
92  | DF |  FRA | Abdoul Koné
93  | DF |  MTN | Mohamed Ali Diadié
94  | GK |  GUI | Soumaïla Sylla

### Out on loan

[edit]

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. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

-- | DF |  CIV | Cédric Kipré (at Ipswich Town until 30 June 2026)
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

-- | FW |  MLI | Pape Sissoko (at Debrecen until 30 June 2026)

### Reserve team

[edit]

As of 22 June 2025[16]

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. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

47  | DF |  FRA | Melvin Borne
56  | DF |  FRA | Killian Prouchet
59  | FW |  MLI | Abdoulaye Gory
65  | FW |  FRA | Sophian Do Carmo
70  | GK |  FRA | Léo Ripert
75  | FW |  FRA | Mathéo Titalom Penka
76  | MF |  FRA | Lenny Sylla
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

77  | FW |  FRA | Anddrys Solvet
78  | FW |  FRA | Adama Baradji
79  | DF |  FRA | Ansoumana Dansokho
80  | GK |  FRA | Matisse Morville
81  | DF |  FRA | Justin Tsouh
82  | DF |  FRA | Sacha Burek
83  | DF |  NGA | Amos Ochoche

### Notable players

[edit]

Below are the notable former players who have represented Stade de Reims in league 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.

Algeria

1. Aissa Mandi

France

1. Albert Batteux
2. Armand Penverne
3. Bruno Rodzik
4. Cédric Fauré
5. Dominique Colonna
6. Jacques Favre
7. Jean Templin
8. Jean Vincent
9. Just Fontaine
10. Léon Glovacki
11. Lucien Muller
12. Marcel Aubour
13. Michel Leblond
14. Pierre Flamion
15. Pierre Sinibaldi
16. Raoul Giraudo
17. Raymond Kopa
18. René Bliard
19. René-Jean Jacquet
20. Robert Jonquet
21. Robert Siatka
22. Roger Marche
23. Roger Piantoni
24. Simon Zimny

Zimbabwe

1. Marshall Munetsi

## Club officials

[edit]

Management[17]

* President: Jean-Pierre Caillot
* Association President: Didier Perrin

Coaching[18]

* Head coach: Karel Geraerts
* Assistant coach: Tim Smolders, Alberto Escobar, Franck Chalençon, Samba Diawara
* Goalkeeper coach: Thomas Trochut
* Match analyst: Adrien Mahy
* Performance manager: Nicolas Bouriette
* Sporting director: Pol-Édouard Caillot
* Physiotherapist: Romain Marteau, Yohann Bionne, Julien Vaur

### *Coaching history

[edit]

| Dates  | Name

|

1931–34  |  David Harrison
1934–36  |  Billy Aitken
1936–37  |  Leopold Kielholz
1937  |  Sarkis Garabedian
1937–38  |  (?) Valère de Besveconny [fr]
1938–40  |  Erich Bieber
1940–41  |  Camille Cottin
1941–43  |  Jules Vandooren
1943–45  |  Sarkis Garabedian
1945–50  |  Henri Roessler
1950–63  |  Albert Batteux
1963  |  Camille Cottin
1963–64  |  Jean Prouff
1964–67  |  Robert Jonquet
1967  |  Claude Prosdocimi
1967–69  |  Émile Rummelhardt
1969–72  |  Élie Fruchard
1972  |  Léon Desmenez
1972  |  Célestin Oliver
1972–74  |  Lucien Leduc
| Dates  | Name

|

1974–75  |  Léon Desmenez
1975  |  Michel Leblond
1975–79  |  Pierre Flamion
1979  |  Claude Prosdocimi
1979–80  |  René Vernier
1980–81  |  Robert Jonquet
Léon Desmenez
1981–82  |  Léon Desmenez
1982–85  |  Pierre Phelipon
1985–88  |  Carlos Bianchi
1988–89  |  Dominique Bathenay
1989–90  |  Jacky Lemée
1990–91  |  Didier Notheaux
1991–92  |  Pierre Phelipon
1992–93  |  Daniel Duval
1993  |  Ghislain Bournel
1993–95  |  Tony Giannetta
1995–00  |  Manuel Abreu
2000 (interim) |  Franck Triquenaux
2000–02  |  Marc Collat
| Dates  | Name

|

2002–03  |  Denis Goavec
2003–05  |  Ladislas Lozano
2005 (interim) |  Jean-Claude Cloët
2005–07  |  Thierry Froger
2008  |  Didier Tholot
2008–09  |  Luis Fernández
2009–10  |  Marc Collat
2010–14  |  Hubert Fournier
2014–15  |  Jean-Luc Vasseur
2015–16  |  Olivier Guégan
2016 (interim) |  David Guion
2016–17  |  Michel Der Zakarian
2017–21  |  David Guion
2021–22  |  Óscar García
2022–24  |  Will Still
2024 (caretaker) |  Samba Diawara
2024–2025  |  Luka Elsner
2025 (interim) |  Samba Diawara
2025–  |  Karel Geraerts

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "#925 – Stade de Reims : les Rouges et Blancs" (in French). Footnickname. 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
2. ^ "Stade Auguste Delaune | Stade de Reims". stade-de-reims.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
3. ^ "European Cup final results since 1956". Reuters. 23 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
4. ^ "Members of the International Olympic Committee since 1907". Olympic Museum. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
5. ^ "Reims relegated despite thrashing OL". Ligue 1. 14 May 2016. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
6. ^ "Live Commentary: Real Madrid 5–3 Reims — as it happened". Sports Mole. 16 August 2016.
7. ^ "Reims secure promotion with Ligue 2 title". ESPN.com. 21 April 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
8. ^ "PSG stumble to finish with finale loss to Reims". espn.in.
9. ^ "Stade de Reims back in Europe after 57 years!". Ligue 1. 3 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
10. ^ "Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Reims: Barcola stars in Coupe de France final". beIN SPORTS. 24 May 2025.
11. ^ "Stade de Reims: Between Heaven and Hell". beIN SPORTS. 20 May 2025.
12. ^ "MATCH REPORT | Reims 1-3 Metz – Les Grenats win Ligue 1 relegation playoffs round". Get French Football News. 29 May 2025.
13. ^ "Seven-times French champions Lyon relegated to Ligue 2". Reuters. 24 June 2025.
14. ^ "El gran minero: Entrevista con Raymond Kopa" [The great miner: Interview with Raymond Kopa] (in Spanish). UEFA. 5 February 2011. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2019. "En 1953, derrotamos al AC Milan por 3-0 en la final de la Copa Latina (antecesora de la Copa de Europa)"
15. ^ "Les joueurs" [The players] (in French). Stade de Reims. 26 January 2019. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
16. ^ "Groupe Pro 2". stade-de-reims.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
17. ^ "Stade de Reims, club fondé en 1931". Stade Reims. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
18. ^ "Staff". Stade Reims. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stade de Reims.

* Official website
* Stade de Reims on Soccerway
* Stade de Reims on ESPN (archived)
* Stade de Reims on UEFA

* v
* t
* e

Stade de Reims

Overview|

* Players
* Managers

Stadia|

* Stade Auguste-Delaune

Seasons|

* 2002–03
* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25
* 2025–26

* v
* t
* e

Ligue 1

Clubs|

| 2025–26|

* Angers
* Auxerre
* Brest
* Le Havre
* Lens
* Lille
* Lorient
* Lyon
* Marseille
* Metz
* Monaco
* Nantes
* Nice
* Paris FC
* Paris Saint-Germain
* Rennes
* Strasbourg
* Toulouse

|

Former|

* Aix-en-Provence
* Ajaccio
* Alès
* Amiens
* Angoulême
* Antibes
* Arles
* Avignon
* Bastia
* Béziers (defunct)
* Bordeaux
* Boulogne
* Caen
* Cannes
* Châteauroux
* Clermont
* Club Français (defunct)
* Colmar
* Dijon
* Évian
* Excelsior Roubaix (defunct)
* Fives (defunct)
* Gazélec Ajaccio
* Grenoble
* Gueugnon
* Guingamp
* Hyères
* Istres
* Laval
* Le Mans
* Limoges
* Martigues
* Montpellier
* Mulhouse
* AS Nancy
* FC Nancy (defunct)
* Nîmes
* Niort (defunct)
* Olympique Lillois (defunct)
* Paris-Charenton
* Racing Paris
* Racing Roubaix (defunct)
* Red Star
* Reims
* Roubaix-Tourcoing (defunct)
* Rouen
* Saint-Étienne
* Sedan
* Sète
* Sochaux
* Stade Français
* Toulon
* Toulouse (1937) (defunct)
* Tours (defunct)
* AS Troyes (defunct)
* ES Troyes AC
* Valenciennes

Organisations|

* Ligue de Football Professionnel

Competition|

* Teams
* winners
* Players
* foreign
* Winning managers
* Top scorers
* Stadiums

Statistics and awards|

* Records
* Hat-tricks
* Yearly awards
* Player of the Year
* Young Player of the Year
* Player of the Month
* Prix Marc-Vivien Foé

Finances|

* Richest clubs:
* Deloitte list
* Forbes' list

Associated competitions|

* Ligue 2
* Coupe de France
* Coupe de la Ligue (defunct)
* Trophée des Champions
* UEFA Champions League
* UEFA Europa League
* UEFA Conference League
* Anglo-Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup (defunct)

Category

* v
* t
* e

Championnat National 3 -- Group I * 2023–24 clubs

* Belfort
* Metz (res)
* Nancy (res)
* Prix-lès-Mézières
* Raon-l'Étape
* Reims (res)
* Reims Sainte-Anne
* Sarre-Union
* RC Strasbourg (res)
* Strasbourg Koenigshoffen
* Thaon
* Thionville
* FC Métropole Troyenne
* Troyes (res)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data

Other|

* IdRef

*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template