Lyon

Lyon was originally formed under the multisport group Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1896. The manager at the time pushed for Lyon to break off and form their own club, but this did not end up happening until 1950. This was the year the club truly was formed and they played their first match against CA Paris-Charenton.

In 1951, in Lyon’s second year of existence as a fully professional club, they won the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division of French football. For the rest of the 50s, they remained in the First Division, aside from the 1953-54 season, which they spent in the Second Division.

During the 60s and 70s Lyon began to have a moderate amount of success, which really began with them securing their first Coupe de France victory in 1964. They went on to win two more Coupe de France’s in 1967 and in 1973. During this time Lyon was having mediocre results in the league, which led to the hiring of several different managers.

In 1987, French businessman Jean-Michel Aulas purchased the club and laid out a detailed plan to get Lyon back into the First Division and turn them into an established Ligue 1 club, while also making waves in European competitions. During the first year following Aulas’ purchase, Lyon secured promotion to Ligue 1 and things were really looking up for the club, especially after they qualified for the UEFA Cup (Europa League) for the first time. However, the results did not last and Lyon continued to have underachieving results, aside from a second place finish in 1995.

During the early 2000s Lyon hit the peak of their success. They won their first Ligue 1 title in 2002, starting a then record-breaking streak of seven Ligue 1 titles in a row, leading to them also becoming the richest club in France. During this time they also gained a reputation for developing top talent including players like Michael Essien, Karim Benzema, and Mahamadou Diarra. During their historic run they also won one Coupe de France title, their first Coupe de la Ligue title and a record six Trophée des Champions. Lyon continued their success in European competitions, reaching the Champions League quarterfinals 3 times and the semifinals once.

Since the rise of PSG, Lyon’s high point was in the 2019-20 Champions League, when they knocked out Manchester City and Juventus on the way to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual champions Bayern Munich.

2023–24 SEASON: 6th in Ligue 1 (Qualified for Conference League), Coupe de France Runners-Up

2024-25 SEASON: Ligue 1 (For 67 years), UEFA Europa Conference League

Lyon has a heated local rivalry with AS Saint-Étienne, known as the Derby Rhône-Alpes. The rivalry first began in 1951 and due to the clubs only being located 50 km apart, it soon became one of the most heated rivalries in France. Saint-Étienne was also the most successful French club during the 1900s, and with Lyon’s great success in the early 2000s, it led to some fantastic derby matches. While they have not played since 2022, due to Saint-Étienne’s relegation to Ligue 2, the overall record is very close with Lyon having 46 wins to Saint-Étienne’s 44 and 34 draws.

Arguably the global standard in women’s football, the team was initially formed in 1970 as part of FC Lyon, but underwent a rebrand in 2004 to become the official women’s team of Olympique Lyonnais. Since 2004, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin have won the Division 1 Féminine 16 times and the Coupe de France 10 times. They have also won the Women’s Champions League 8 times, with 5 of them being consecutive from 2016 to 2020.

Here are the fans singing their club anthem.

Lyon played at the Stade de Gerland from 1950 to 2016, when they built their new stadium Parc Olympique Lyonnais. The Parc Olympique Lyonnais has a capacity of 59,186 and has hosted a number of competitions including the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Europa League Final, and UEFA Euro 2016.

It’s known as the Groupama Stadium for sponsorship reasons.

GETTING THERE: The stadium is kind of on the edge of town, but there’s a tram stop right next to it called Décines OL Vallée. You can get there from the main train station in town, Gare de part Dieu, by takinng line T3 to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie and switching to line T7. Or just stick with T3 to Décines Grand Large, which is a 15-minute walk from the stadium.

PUBS: There isn’t much out by the stadium.

GRUB: There is an Italian restaurant, Trattoria di Paolo, at the ground, but otherwise the local area is pretty bare. Then again, you’re in Lyon, so why eat football food?

AROUND TOWN: Probably the main attract is Vieux Lyon, or old town. The view from the Bascillica de Notre Dame above it is well worth the walk. Lyon is also a major center of French cuisine.

It’s also just an hour by train from the lovely city of Grenoble at the foot of the Alps.

Here is our friend Rick Steves with more: