FC Nantes

Founding and Early Years

Football Club de Nantes was founded on 21 April 1943 from the merger of several Nantes-area amateur clubs, at the initiative of Marcel Saupin and Jean Le Guillou. The latter, the club's main financier and first president, gave the team the canary-yellow and green colours of his horse-racing stable, earning the club its nickname "Les Canaris" (The Canaries).

Club Evolution

FC Nantes is inseparable from the "jeu à la nantaise," an attacking, collective style of play invented by José Arribas in the 1960s, then refined by Jean-Claude Suaudeau. The club have played at the Stade de la Beaujoire since 1984.

Great Managers

José Arribas won the club's first two titles (1964-65, 1965-66). Jean-Claude Suaudeau (1982-1997), the most decorated manager in Nantes's history, added two further titles and led the club to a Champions League semi-final in 1995-96. Raynald Denoueix (1997-2001) won the 2000-01 title, the club's most recent to date.

Iconic Players

Maxime Bossis, the iconic defender of the 1970s-80s, won three titles with the club. Patrice Loko was the league's top scorer in 1994-95, the year of that title. Mickaël Landreau, the goalkeeper developed at the club and captain by age 19, embodies the victorious generation of the early 2000s.

Major Achievements

FC Nantes have won eight Ligue 1 titles and four Coupe de France titles, the most recent in 2021-22 against OGC Nice, without a European trophy despite a 1995-96 Champions League semi-final run.

The Club Today

Led by Michel Der Zakarian, back for a third spell since June 2026, and chaired by Waldemar Kita since 2007, FC Nantes play in Ligue 2 for the 2026-27 season following relegation.