Lille

LOSC Lille was founded when the two main clubs in Lille, SC Fives and Olympique Lillois, joined together in 1944. Both clubs had been quite successful prior to WWII, but the war had caused financial issues for both teams and it was ultimately decided to merge the two in order to continue having a football club in Lille. This new club was founded under the name Lille Olympique Sporting Club, now known as LOSC Lille.

Lille went to the Coupe de France final in their first season, and won a domestic double the next year when they won the Coupe de France and the league. During the remainder of the 40s and 50s, Lille continued to play well, winning several more Coupes de France and winning another league title in 1954 after finishing runners-up several years in a row. A year later they won their 5th Coupe de France since 1944. Their great success following WWII led to their nickname La Machine de Guerre or “The War Machine”.

Unfortunately, the success came to an end when the club was relegated in 1956. This led to a period where the club bounced between the first and second divisions, ultimately landing them in a very financially precarious situation. This led to the club abandoning their title of a professional club in 1969 due to a lack of finances and resources. The 70s were a time of rebuilding for Lille, as they had to spend several seasons in the amateur leagues to build back their reputation and finances.

By 1978, Lille had battled their way back to the top division in France and they remained there until 1997. During this time the club had some very mediocre mid-table finishes, only finishing in the top half of the table once, and still missing out on a European spot by 2 places. By the end of the 90s Lille was again in poor financial standing, leading to their relegation in 1997. Lille did not remain in the second division long, as they made it back up for the start of the 21st century.

Their first season back up, they qualified for European competitions for the first time in their history. This was a turning point in the club’s history as they became European regulars and in 2011, 56 years after the club’s last trophy, they won the double after winning the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France. This 2010-2011 team also had some familiar names like Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy, and Eden Hazard.

Ten years later, in 2021, they won the league again, and the following season made the final 16 of the Champions League. They have stayed near the top of the league since.

2023-24 SEASON: 4th in Ligue 1, quarterfinals of UEFA Conference League.

2024-25 SEASON: Ligue 1, Champions League

Lille shares the Derby du Nord with RC Lens. Their first meeting was in 1945, and since then the two have played each other 120 times with Lille holding the slight edge with 47 wins. Like many French rivalries, this one went beyond the pitch in the early days as it also played into the socioeconomic differences between the two cities as well.

Lille’s women’s team was founded in 2005 and have played the majority of their seasons in the second division of women’s football in France. They play their home games at Stadium Lille Métropole, which they share with 4th tier mens side Wasquehal Football.

Like many French teams, Lille have done away with their historic stadium and have built a new one. In this case, theirs is the Stade Pierre-Mauroy which has a capacity of just over 50,000 and a retractable roof allowing it to host events like basketball, tennis, and handball. One of the main reasons behind the new stadium was to meet UEFA regulations, allowing them to host major finals and tournaments, including the in 2016 European Championships and the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

GETTING THERE: The stadium is out in the southern suburbs, several miles from the center, so take Metro Line 1. Here it is on Google Maps.

PUBS and GRUB: There is nothing out by the stadium, so take care of this in town.

AROUND TOWN: We haven’t been there yet, and the city isn’t known as a big tourist destination, so we’ll just share this video and the city’s official tourism site.