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AS Nancy Lorraine

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AS Nancy Lorraine
Full nameAssociation Sportive Nancy Lorraine
NicknameLes Chardons (The Thistles)
Founded1910; 116 years ago (1910)
professional section established 1967
GroundStade Marcel Picot, Tomblaine
Capacity20,087
Owner(s)Krishen Sud and Chien Lee[1]
ChairmanChien Lee[2]
ManagerOswald Tanchot[3]
LeagueLigue 2
2025–26Ligue 2, 14th of 18[4]
Websitehttps://www.asnl.net/
Current season

Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (French pronunciation: [asɔsjɑsjɔ̃ spɔʁtiv nɑ̃si lɔʁɛn]), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, ASNL or simply Nancy, is a French association football club based in Nancy, Grand Est. The first team plays at the Stade Marcel Picot in the neighbouring commune of Tomblaine and competes in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football.

The club traces its institutional origins to the multi-sports club Union sportive Frontière, founded in 1910 and renamed Association sportive lorraine in 1928. A professional football section was created in 1967 under the present name; the year 1967 on the club badge therefore refers to the establishment of the professional structure rather than to the beginning of the association itself.[5][6]

Nancy's principal honours are the Coupe de France in 1978 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2006. The club has also won the French second division five times, in 1975, 1990, 1998, 2005 and 2016, and won the Championnat National in 2025.[7][8] Its best finishes in the French top flight were fourth place in 1976–77 and 2007–08.[9][10] Nancy has appeared in European competition on three occasions: the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1978–79 and the UEFA Cup in 2006–07 and 2008–09.[11][12][13]

ASNL is particularly associated with the development of young players. Michel Platini began his senior career at Nancy and scored the winning goal in the 1978 Coupe de France final. Other players developed at the club include Youssouf Hadji, Michaël Chrétien, Jonathan Brison and Clément Lenglet.[14] The club has also had links with British football: Morocco international Abdeslam Ouaddou moved directly from Nancy to Fulham in 2001, Massadio Haïdara joined Newcastle United in 2013, and both Landry N'Guémo and Marc-Antoine Fortuné moved from Nancy to Celtic in 2009.[15][16][17]

The club's traditional rival is FC Metz, with whom it contests the Derby Lorrain.

History

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Origins and the return of professional football to Nancy

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The institutional lineage of AS Nancy Lorraine begins with Union sportive Frontière, a multi-sports club established in 1910. It adopted the name Association sportive lorraine in 1928. For much of the period before the Second World War it played a secondary role in local football, while professional football in the city was represented from 1935 by FC Nancy, a separate club whose professional section disappeared in the 1960s.[5]

In 1966, businessman Claude Cuny, who had previously been involved with FC Nancy, began a campaign to restore professional football to the city. His publicity initiative, known locally as Boîte postale 17 or BP17, invited people in Nancy and Lorraine to demonstrate support for a new professional side. The campaign generated a substantial local response and more than 2,000 people rapidly joined the project as members.[18] Cuny used Association sportive lorraine as the amateur structure from which the professional club could be established. The application was accepted on 16 June 1967 and AS Nancy Lorraine entered Division 2 for the 1967–68 season.[18][6]

Nancy's first professional manager was former France international René Pleimelding. The new team reached Division 1 in 1970, only three seasons after entering the professional game.[19]

The Platini era

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Michel Platini, who began his senior career with Nancy

Nancy's most celebrated period began with the emergence of Michel Platini. He joined the club as a teenager in 1972, initially appearing for the reserve team, and established himself in the first team the following year. During Nancy's season in the second division in 1974–75 he scored 17 league goals as the club won its first Division 2 title.[20]

Back in the top flight, Nancy developed a young, technically accomplished side around Platini, Olivier Rouyer, Jean-Michel Moutier, Carlos Curbelo, Paco Rubio and Philippe Jeannol. The team finished fourth in Division 1 in 1976–77, one of the two highest league finishes in the club's history.[9]

The high point came on 13 May 1978, when Nancy beat Nice 1–0 in the 1978 Coupe de France final at the Parc des Princes. Platini scored the only goal, in the 57th minute, as Nancy won the first major trophy in its professional history.[7]

The cup win took Nancy into Europe for the first time. In the 1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup, the club eliminated Frem Copenhagen before losing to Servette in the second round. Platini missed much of the season through injury and left Nancy for AS Saint-Étienne in 1979.[11]

From the 1980s to the early 2000s

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Nancy remained in the top division throughout the first half of the 1980s. Future Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was appointed coach in 1984. He kept the club in Division 1 until its relegation in 1987, after which he left for Monaco.[19]

The club returned to the top flight after winning Division 2 in 1989–90. Aimé Jacquet, who later led France to victory at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, coached Nancy during the following season and secured survival in Division 1.[19][7] The club then spent much of the 1990s moving between the top two divisions.

László Bölöni became coach in 1994 and oversaw another period of relative stability. Nancy returned to Division 1 in 1996 and won the Division 2 title again in 1997–98. The championship-winning squad included players such as Pablo Correa, Tony Cascarino, Frédéric Biancalani, Vincent Hognon and Cédric Lécluse.[7]

Pablo Correa, cup success and Europe

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Pablo Correa, Nancy's head coach during the club's mid-2000s revival, pictured in 2016

After a difficult start to the 2002–03 season, former Nancy forward Pablo Correa was appointed head coach in November 2002. At the time, The Guardian later reported, Nancy were near the bottom of Ligue 2, five points from safety and carrying debts running into millions of euros. Club president Jacques Rousselot was simultaneously attempting to stabilise the finances, at times using his own money to meet wage payments while avoiding expensive recruitment.[21]

Correa, then 34, appointed his former team-mate and lifelong Nancy supporter Paul Fischer as assistant. The pair led the side away from relegation trouble to a 13th-place finish in 2002–03. Nancy improved to sixth the following season before winning Ligue 2 in 2004–05 and returning to the top flight.[21][19][7] The contemporary Guardian profile attributed the revival not only to improved finances but also to continuity within the squad and Correa's collaborative management style.[21]

Nancy and Nice before the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final

In their first season back in Ligue 1, Nancy finished 12th and won the Coupe de la Ligue. On 22 April 2006 they beat Nice 2–1 at the Stade de France, with goals from Moncef Zerka and Brazilian forward Kim.[7] Around 40,000 Nancy supporters travelled to the final, using eleven special trains, more than 300 coaches and thousands of private cars.[22]

The victory qualified Nancy for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. In the first round they were drawn against Schalke 04, semi-finalists in the competition the previous season. After losing the first leg 1–0 in Germany, Correa adopted an unusually attacking approach for the return match, starting with four forwards; Nancy won 3–1 at Marcel-Picot to reach the group stage.[21][23] They finished second in their group before being eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 32.[12]

The club also made a strong start to the 2006–07 Ligue 1 season. After ten matches Nancy stood third and had conceded only five league goals, the best defensive record in the division at that point. Doyle attributed the record to the team's high work rate and its practice of defending from the front, while noting that Correa had moved away from the five-man defence used during the previous season to a flat back four.[21] The same contemporary profile emphasised the role of players developed within the club, identifying Olivier Sorin, Michaël Chrétien, Pape Diakhaté, Jonathan Brison, Pascal Bérenguer and Moncef Zerka as home-grown members of the first-team squad.[21]

The 2007–08 season produced Nancy's best league campaign since the Platini era. The club spent the season near the top of the table and entered the final day in contention for a place in the UEFA Champions League. A 3–2 home defeat by Rennes, combined with victory for Marseille, left Nancy fourth.[10][24] Fourth place nevertheless qualified the club for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. Nancy eliminated Scottish side Motherwell before being eliminated in the group stage.[13]

Decline and recovery

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Correa left in 2011 after almost nine years as head coach. Nancy were relegated from Ligue 1 in 2013, but Correa returned later that year and subsequently led the club to a fifth Ligue 2 championship in 2015–16.[19][7] Their return to the top flight lasted one season, and several years of increasing sporting and financial difficulty followed.

In 2022 Nancy were relegated from Ligue 2 to the third-tier Championnat National.[25] The following season ended in further crisis: the club was relegated on sporting grounds to National 2 and then administratively demoted to National 3 because of its financial position. Majority shareholders Krishen Sud and Chien Lee provided further financial guarantees and consolidated their control of the club during the summer of 2023.[26] After an appeal the administrative demotion was reduced, and Nancy were ultimately reprieved in the Championnat National when Sedan was excluded from the national championships.[27]

Correa returned for another spell as head coach in November 2023, when Nancy were 17th and second-bottom of the National. The club recovered to finish sixth in 2023–24 before dominating the following season. Nancy won the 2024–25 Championnat National and secured promotion back to Ligue 2 in May 2025.[28][8]

Nancy finished 14th in Ligue 2 in 2025–26 and secured their place in the division for another season.[4] Correa left at the end of the campaign, with his final home match producing a 3–2 victory over Dunkerque.[29] Oswald Tanchot was appointed as his successor for 2026–27.[3]

Stade Marcel Picot

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The Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine

Nancy play their home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot, situated in Tomblaine immediately east of Nancy. The ground opened on 8 August 1926 as the Parc des sports d'Essey and later became known as the Stade Marcel Picot.[30]

The stadium's record attendance is 30,384 for a league match against AS Saint-Étienne during the 1976–77 season. Beginning in the summer of 1999 it was extensively rebuilt; the project was completed three and a half years later, producing a fully enclosed stadium with 20,087 covered seats.[30] In 2007–08, Nancy's most successful recent Ligue 1 season, average home attendance reached 18,741, corresponding to a 93.3 per cent occupancy rate.[31]

The ground has a distinctive place in the club's history because of Michel Platini's testimonial on 23 May 1988. Around 29,000 spectators attended an event that brought a number of leading international footballers to Nancy, including Pelé, Diego Maradona, Zico, Lothar Matthäus, Rabah Madjer, Jean Tigana and Alain Giresse.[32]

Youth academy and player development

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France international Clément Lenglet was developed at Nancy.

The club's academy and training centre is situated in the Forêt de Haye west of Nancy. Youth development has long formed an important part of ASNL's sporting model.[33] Michel Platini arrived at the club as a teenager and progressed through the reserve side before establishing himself in the first team. Other players developed through Nancy's youth system include Michaël Chrétien, Youssouf Hadji, Jonathan Brison and Clément Lenglet.[14][33]

The importance of that model was particularly visible during the club's mid-2000s revival. In October 2006, The Guardian identified Olivier Sorin, Michaël Chrétien, Pape Diakhaté, Jonathan Brison, Pascal Bérenguer and Moncef Zerka as home-grown members of a Nancy squad then sitting third in Ligue 1.[21]

The academy has also been a route into British football. Defender Abdeslam Ouaddou was sold to Premier League club Fulham in 2001.[15] Left-back Massadio Haïdara joined Newcastle United directly from Nancy in January 2013.[16] In 2009 Cameroon midfielder Landry N'Guémo joined Celtic on loan, while former Nancy forward Marc-Antoine Fortuné moved permanently to the Glasgow club after a loan spell in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion.[34][17]

Supporters and rivalry

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Nancy supporters at a Derby Lorrain away to Metz in 2013

Nancy has traditionally drawn support from the city and the wider southern Lorraine area. The scale of that support was particularly visible at the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final, when around 40,000 supporters travelled to the Stade de France.[22]

Organised ultra support at Marcel-Picot developed in the early 1990s. In 2013 the club marked twenty years of the ultra movement in Nancy.[35]

The club's principal rivalry is with FC Metz. Matches between the two clubs are known as the Derby Lorrain and traditionally carry considerable regional significance; club historian Christian Portelance has described the fixture as a match apart in which the two leading professional clubs of Lorraine compete for regional prestige.[36]

Nancy supporters also have a long-standing friendship with supporters of German club 1. FC Saarbrücken. ASNL marked fifteen years of the relationship in 2013.[37]

European record

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Nancy have taken part in European competition in three seasons: the 1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup, and the 2006–07 and 2008–09 UEFA Cups. The club has played 18 European matches in total.

Season Competition Round Opponent Venue Result
1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Frem Copenhagen Away 0–2
Home 4–0
Nancy won 4–2 on aggregate
Second round Servette Away 1–2
Home 2–2
Servette won 4–3 on aggregate[38][39][40]
2006–07 UEFA Cup First round Schalke 04 Away 0–1
Home 3–1
Nancy won 3–2 on aggregate
Group E Wisła Kraków Home 2–1
Group E Basel Away 2–2
Group E Feyenoord Home 3–0
Group E Blackburn Rovers Away 0–1
Round of 32 Shakhtar Donetsk Away 1–1
Home 0–1
Shakhtar won 2–1 on aggregate[12]
2008–09 UEFA Cup First round Motherwell Home 1–0
Away 2–0
Nancy won 3–0 on aggregate
Group H Feyenoord Home 3–0
Group H Lech Poznań Away 2–2
Group H CSKA Moscow Home 3–4
Group H Deportivo de La Coruña Away 0–1[13]

Nancy's 2006–07 campaign was the club's longest European campaign, comprising eight matches. In the first round, Nancy overturned a 1–0 defeat away to Schalke 04 with a 3–1 victory at Marcel-Picot. A contemporary Guardian profile noted that Correa began the return leg with four forwards, an unusually aggressive approach that helped produce the comeback.[21][23] The club then finished second in UEFA Cup Group E, recording home victories over Wisła Kraków and Feyenoord and a draw away to Basel, before being eliminated 2–1 on aggregate by Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 32.[12]

In 2008–09, Nancy eliminated Motherwell 3–0 on aggregate before opening the group stage with a second successive 3–0 home victory over Feyenoord. A draw at Lech Poznań was followed by defeats to CSKA Moscow and Deportivo de La Coruña, leaving Nancy fourth in Group H and eliminated from the competition.[13]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 1 September 2026.[41]

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
1 GK  FRA Enzo Basilio
30 GK  CTA Geoffrey Lembet
40 GK  FRA Kenzo Noël
2 DF  FRA Héliohdino Tavares
4 DF  FRA Nehemiah Fernandez
19 DF  FRA Thierno Baldé
21 DF  GNB Elydjah Mendy
22 DF  BEL Logan Ndenbe
44 DF  FRA Enzo Tacafred
77 DF  FRA Yannis Nahounou
No. Pos. Nation Player
6 MF  FRA Kouroufia Kébé
7 MF  MAR Zakaria Fdaouch
8 MF  FRA Walid Bouabdeli
17 MF  MTN Mamadou Fofana
18 MF  FRA Hugo Barbier
25 MF  FRA Jérémy Gélin
28 MF  ALG Issam Bouaoune
37 MF  ALG Yanis Delaveau
45 MF  FRA Chafik El Hansar
70 MF  MAR Nordine Kandil
88 MF  FRA Joël-Emmanuel Coulibaly
9 FW  MAR Ilyes Housni
10 FW  FRA Adrian Dabasse
12 FW  MAD Ahmad El Hadary Raheriniaina
20 FW  COD Brandon Bokangu
26 FW  FRA Zakaria Ztouti
29 FW  FRA Noam Obougou

Notable former players

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The following is a selection of former Nancy players with significant international careers or a substantial role in the club's history:

Notable managers

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Several coaches associated with Nancy later achieved wider international prominence. Arsène Wenger managed the club from 1984 to 1987 before joining Monaco and later Arsenal. Aimé Jacquet coached Nancy in 1990–91 before eventually leading France to victory at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. László Bölöni was in charge from 1994 to 2000, winning promotion to Division 1 twice, while former Nancy player Pablo Correa managed the club for more than a decade across several spells and led the team to the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue, fourth place in Ligue 1 in 2008, two Ligue 2 titles and the 2025 National championship.[19][7][28]

Honours

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Domestic

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Top-flight record

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References

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  1. ↑ "Paul Conway" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  2. ↑ "Les dirigeants" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 3 April 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Annonce officielle" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 "2025–2026 Nancy Stats, Ligue 2". FBref. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Historie AS Nancy" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 Lieto, Cédric (4 May 2017). "Claude Cuny, le pionnier" (in French). Radio France. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Le palmarès" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Le bilan et les chiffres de la saison" (in French). French Football Federation. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Saison 1976/1977" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Saison 2007/2008" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Saison 1978/1979" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Saison 2006/2007" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Saison 2008/2009" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Les joueurs de l'ASNL – C" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Fulham capture Morocco defender". The Guardian. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Newcastle complete signing of Massadio Haidara from Nancy". BBC Sport. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Celtic get Fortuné on their side". UEFA. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  18. 1 2 "De 1967 à nos jours" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Les entraîneurs de l'ASNL" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "Saison 1974/1975" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Doyle, Paul (27 October 2006). "How Nancy's boys started playing like men". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Finale de la Coupe de la Ligue Nancy–Nice (2–1): 10 ans déjà" (in French). France 3 Grand Est. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Nancy ready to grasp the nettle". UEFA. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "Nancy rate la marche" (in French). Eurosport. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "Nancy battu en Ligue 2 et officiellement relégué en National". L'Équipe (in French). 30 April 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "Lettre ouverte aux fans de l'ASNL" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "L'AS Nancy-Lorraine finalement repêchée en National". L'Équipe (in French). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  28. 1 2 "L'AS Nancy-Lorraine remonte en Ligue 2 BKT !" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  29. ↑ "Nancy-Dunkerque" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 9 May 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  30. 1 2 "Le stade Marcel-Picot" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Le gâteau sans la cerise". Le Figaro (in French). 25 May 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  32. ↑ "Étiez-vous au jubilé Platini ?" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Le centre de formation" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  34. ↑ "Celtic seal N'Guemo loan". Sky Sports. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  35. ↑ "Photos – supporters" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  36. ↑ Portelance, Christian (10 May 2020). "Histoires du derby" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  37. ↑ "Nancy-Lyon" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  38. ↑ "Nancy-Copenhague en 1978" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  39. ↑ "Les matchs contre le Servette" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "European Competitions 1978–79". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  41. ↑ "Composition Nancy 2026/2027, Effectif, Liste Joueurs" (in French). Foot Mercato. Retrieved 1 September 2026.

Further reading

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  • Claude Cuny, with Michel Caffier, Histoire d'un club: AS Nancy-Lorraine (Paris: Éditions Alta, 1981).
  • Jean-Pierre Hopp, Histoire de l'AS Nancy-Lorraine. De Claude Cuny à Michel Platini et depuis... (Le Coteau: Éditions Horvath, 1988).
  • Christian Portelance, AS Nancy-Lorraine. Des épopées et des hommes (Alan Sutton, 2007).
  • Bertrand Munier, AS Nancy-Lorraine – Histoire d'un club – Au fil des saisons depuis 1935 (Éditions Serpenoise, 2010), ISBN 978-2-87692-835-0.
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