Coupe de France in the context of "Ligue 1"

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⭐ Core Definition: Coupe de France

The Coupe de France (French pronunciation: [kup fʁɑ̃s]), also known in English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories. Between 1917 and 1919, the competition was called the Coupe Charles Simon, in tribute of Charles Simon, a French sportsman and the founder of the French Interfederal Committee (the ancestor of the French Football Federation), who died in 1915 while serving in World War I. The final is played at the Stade de France and the winner qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and a place in the Trophée des Champions match. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Coupe de France Féminine.

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 more than one level below them. Despite this advantage, only three amateur clubs have reached the final since professionalism was introduced in French football in 1932: Calais RUFC in 2000, US Quevilly in 2012 and Les Herbiers VF in 2018. Two clubs from outside Ligue 1 have won the competition, Le Havre in 1959 and Guingamp in 2009. The reigning champions are Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated Reims in the final of the 2024–25 competition.

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Coupe de France in the context of Paris Saint-Germain FC

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain (French: [paʁi sɛ̃ʒɛʁmɛ̃]) or simply PSG, Paris or Paris SG, are a French professional football club based in Paris. Founded in 1970, following the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain, they compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. PSG play their home matches in the 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes in Paris. With 55 trophies won, they are the most decorated club in France. PSG are the most popular football club in France and one of the most widely supported teams in the world. The team has a longstanding rivalry with Marseille, against whom they contest Le Classique.

The Parisians won their first major title, the Coupe de France, in 1982 and their first Ligue 1 title in 1986. The 1990s were one of the most successful periods in the club's history, with their second league title in 1994 and their first European trophy, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996. After a decline in fortunes during the 2000s, a recovery began in the 2010s when they were acquired by Qatar Sports Investments. With significant investment, PSG won multiple league titles and national cups, becoming a regular in the UEFA Champions League. They won their first Champions League in 2025 as part of a continental treble.

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Coupe de France in the context of 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) 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 the country's top two leagues. 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, 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 the French amazingly."

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Coupe de France in the context of Stade Saint-Germain

Stade Saint-Germainois, often known as Stade Saint-Germain, was a French football club founded on 21 June 1904. On 12 August 1970, it merged with Paris FC to form Paris Saint-Germain FC. It was based in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the western suburbs of Paris. The club's badge was the town's coat of arms, with the cot, the fleur-de-lis and the date making reference to the commune being the birthplace of King Louis XIV.

Before merging with Paris FC, Stade Saint-Germain's best performance in the Coupe de France was in 1968–69, when it reached the quarter-finals of the competition before losing to Olympique de Marseille.

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Coupe de France in the context of Olympique de Marseille

Olympique de Marseille (French: [ɔlɛ̃pik maʁsɛj], locally [olɛ̃ˈpikə maχˈsɛjə]; Occitan: Olimpic de Marselha, pronounced [ulimˈpi de maʀˈsejɔ]), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (IPA: [o.ɛm], locally [oˈɛmə]), is a French professional football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Founded in 1899, OM has won 26 domestic trophies: ten league titles, ten Coupe de France, three Coupe de la Ligue, and three Trophée des Champions. Continentally, the club holds a joint national record of one UEFA Champions League and a joint national record of one UEFA Intertoto Cup. Additionally, Marseille has played in three UEFA Europa League finals. In 1993, coach Raymond Goethals led the team to become the first French club to win the UEFA Champions League, defeating Milan 1–0 in the final, the first under the UEFA Champions League branding of the tournament. In 2010, Marseille won its first Ligue 1 title in 18 years under the management of former club captain Didier Deschamps.

Marseille's home ground is the 67,394-capacity Stade Vélodrome in the southern part of the city, where they have played since 1937. The stadium underwent renovations between 2011 and 2014, increasing its capacity to 67,000 in preparation for France's hosting of UEFA Euro 2016. The club has a large fan-base, having regularly averaged the highest attendance in French football. Marseille's average home gate for the 2018–19 season was 50,361, the highest in Ligue 1. The club have a long-standing rivalry with Paris Saint-Germain, against whom they contest Le Classique.

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