Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard (; commonly referred to as FCSM or simply Sochaux) is a French association football club based in the commune of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and will compete in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, for the upcoming 2026–27 season after having been promoted from the Championnat National at the end of the 2025–26 season. Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal, located within Montbéliard.
Sochaux was founded by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, a prominent member of the Peugeot family, and is one of the founding members of the first division of French football. The club has won both Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France twice and have also won the Coupe de la Ligue. Sochaux's last honour came in 2007 when the club, under the guidance of Alain Perrin, defeated favourites Marseille 5–4 on penalties in the 2007 Coupe de France Final. Sochaux's colours are gold and navy blue.
Sochaux is known for its youth academy, which has regularly finished in the top ten rankings of youth academies in France (fourth in 2010). The most successful team in the academy is the under-19 team, which has won the Coupe Gambardella twice, in 1973 and 2007. In 2010, Sochaux finished runners-up to Metz in the 2010 edition of the competition. The academy has produced several notable talents, such as Yannick Stopyra, El-Hadji Diouf, Jérémy Ménez, Bernard Genghini and Benoît Pedretti, among others. The club were a regular in the top flight, until relegation in 2014.
History
Formation and early success (1928–1938)
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard was founded on 14 June 1928 under the name Football Club Sochaux by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, a director of Peugeot, a French car manufacturing company. Peugeot sought to create a football club for the leisure time of the company's workers. He installed Louis Maillard-Salin as the club's first president, and made Maurice Bailly the club's first manager. Bailly was also a member of the team. Sochaux played its first match on 2 September 1928 against the reserve team of local club AS Montbéliard. The club was inserted into the lowest level of league football in the Franche-Comté region and played its first league match three weeks later winning 12–1.
thumb|upright|200px|Strasbourg and Sochaux in the [[Coupe de France final in 1937.]]
Peugeot was among the first to advocate for the professionalisation of French football and, in 1929, went as far as to admit to paying his players, which was strictly forbidden during this time. The subsequent recruitment of several French internationals and players from abroad led to Sochaux gaining a stranglehold on the region easily disposing of local rivals AS Montbéliard and AS Valentigney. In June 1930, Montbéliard decided to merge with Sochaux to form the club that exists today. The following month, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. With Peugeot being a strong advocate for professionalism, Sochaux were among the first clubs to adopt the new statute and, subsequently, became professional. In the league's inaugural season, Sochaux finished 3rd in its group. The club's final position was later moved to 2nd after Antibes, the champions of the group, was disqualified from the league for suspected bribery.
In the 1934–35 season, Sochaux captured its first league title finishing one point ahead of Strasbourg. Led by Uruguayan manager Conrad Ross, as well as captain Étienne Mattler, known as Le Lion de Belfort, and strikers Roger Courtois and Bernard Williams, Sochaux dominated the league losing only four times. Two seasons later, the same team, with the addition of goalkeeper Laurent Di Lorto and the Swiss duo of André Abegglen and Maxime Lehmann, Sochaux won its first Coupe de France title. The club faced league rivals Strasbourg in the final and defeated the Alsatians 2–1 courtesy of goals from Williams and the Argentine Miguel Angel Lauri. Ross finished his career at Sochaux by winning another league title in 1938.
World War II and relegation (1939–1946)
After the 1938–39 season, Ross and several players departed the club to play and manage abroad due to the onset of World War II. The non-deserters were, subsequently, called into action to fight with the French Army, which ultimately caused the club to limit its aspiring ambitions.
During war-time, in an effort to survive financially, Sochaux formed an interim merger with local rivals AS Valentigney. The club, known as FC Sochaux-Valentigney, participated in the war-time championships from 1942 to 1944. Following the conclusion of the war, Sochaux dissolved the merger, turn professional again, and returned to its original name. The club, however, failed to get back to its form prior to the war and, subsequently, made the decision to forgo entering bidding wars for players, which was becoming the norm and, instead, focus on keeping the team's budget even. As a result, in the first season after the war, Sochaux suffered relegation after finishing in last place with only 15 points. Sochaux spent only one season in the second division and returned to Division 1 for the 1947–48 season.
Return to Division 1 and further cup wins (1947–1959)
The club spent the next 13 seasons playing in Division 1 with its best finish coming during the 1952–53 season when the club finished runner-up to champions Stade Reims. In the same season, Sochaux won its first honour since 1938 after winning the Coupe Charles Drago. In 1959, the club returned to the Coupe de France final, however, the outcome was not in Sochaux's favour, with the club losing 3–0 to Le Havre in a replay after a 2–2 draw.
Continued success and European football (1960–2001)
In the early 1960s, despite playing in Division 2, Sochaux won the Coupe Drago in back-to-back seasons. The club made its return to Division 1 in 1964, and remained in the league for over 20 years, regularly finishing in the top ten before falling down to Division 2 in the 1987–88 season. During Sochaux's 24-year run in the first division, the club played in European competitions four times. In the 1980–81 season, Sochaux surprised many by reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. In the round, the club was defeated by Dutch club AZ Alkmaar 4–3 on aggregate. The club's successful play during this stint was predominantly due to the creation of the club's academy in 1974, which paid immediate dividends. Player such as Bernard Genghini, Yannick Stopyra, Joël Bats and Philippe Anziani were among the inaugural graduates who were instrumental in Sochaux's domestic success.
New millennium (2001–2014)
thumb|upright|200px|Sochaux supporters celebrating winning the Coupe de France in 2007.
After hovering between the first division and the second division in the 1990s, Sochaux returned to the first division, now called Ligue 1, at the start of the new millennium. The club surprised many by finishing within the top ten in its first three seasons back.
The club made it to the 2003 Coupe de la Ligue final, led by manager Guy Lacombe, but were defeated 4–1 by Monaco. In the following year, Sochaux won the Coupe de la Ligue 5–4 on penalties against Nantes the 2004 final, winning its first major title since winning the Coupe Drago 40 years prior.
In April 2018 it was announced that Spanish club Deportivo Alavés, whose owners had a stake in Ledus, was starting a partnership with Sochaux. However, the agreement lasted only a few months, ending abruptly in December of the same year.
Under manager Omar Daf, Sochaux won their last game of the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season against Grenoble which saw the club finish 16th, safe from relegation. The following month on 12 June 2019, Sochaux were administratively relegated to the third tier Championnat National by the DNCG for not having presented balanced accounts. On 8 July 2019, it was announced that the club's appeal to the DNCG had been successful, and that the club would remain in Ligue 2.
In April 2020, it was announced that Chinese conglomerate, Nenking Group, who had been running the club since the end of the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season in place of Ledus, had formally acquired Sochaux.
Administrative relegation and return of Peugeot (2023–present)
On 28 June 2023, after nine consecutive seasons in Ligue 2, the DNCG confirmed the administrative relegation of Sochaux to the Championnat National, the third tier of French football, due to their financial crisis.
In August 2023, Nenking Group and Sochaux President Frankie Yau signed an agreement to sell the club back to its former president Jean-Claude Plessis and associate, Pierre Wantiez.
On 11 March 2026, Peugeot announced a five-season partnership with Sochaux nearly eleven years after selling the club. At the end of the same season, on 16 May 2026, Sochaux were promoted back to Ligue 2, having finished in second place in the 2025–26 season after three seasons in the third tier.
Stadium
thumb|upright|200px|Entrance to the Stade Bonal
Sochaux plays its home matches at the Stade Auguste Bonal in Montbéliard. The stadium was constructed in 1931 and opened on 11 November of that same year. The facility was previously known as Stade de la Forge. In July 1945, the club changed the stadium's name to its current version. It is named after Auguste Bonal, the former sports director of the club, who after refusing to co-operate with the Germans during World War II, was murdered.
The Stade Auguste Bonal has undergone renovations twice: in 1973 and 1997. In 1997, the majority of the stadium was completely overhauled, and practically a new stadium was built. The stadium still hosted matches during the renovation period, but with a limited capacity. The renovation cost ₣114 million, and took nearly three years to complete. The Nouveau Bonal was officially inaugurated on 22 July 2000 in a Trophée des champions match between FC Nantes and AS Monaco. The stadium's current capacity is 20,005.
Honours and records
Honours
The following table lists the honours of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, updated as of January 1, 2010, in various official competitions at the national and international levels, as well as in youth competitions. In friendly tournaments, the club won the Coupe Peugeot in 1931 and was a finalist in the Trophée Joan Gamper in 1989.
{| cellpadding="3" style="font-size:95%; background-color:#F9F9F9; border:solid 1px #D2B453; border-collapse: collapse; margin-top:6px; margin-bottom:6px;" cellspacing="1" border="1" align=center width="80%"
|+Honors of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in Official Competitions
|-
| width="50%" bgcolor="#133578" style="color:#FFCF21;" align=center | National Competitions
| width="50%" bgcolor="#133578" style="color:#FFCF21;" align=center | International Competitions
|-
| valign="top" |
Ligue 1
- Winners (2): 1934–35, 1937–38
- Runners-up (3): 1936–37, 1952–53, 1979–80
Ligue 2
- Winners (3): 1946–47, 1987–88, 2000–01
- Runners-up (1): 1963–64
Ligue 3
- Runners-up (1): 2025–26
Coupe de France
- Winners (2): 1936–37, 2006–07
- Runners-up (3): 1958–59, 1966–67, 1987–88
Coupe de la Ligue
- Winners (1): 2003–04
- Runners-up (1): 2002–03
Coupe Gambardella
- Winners (3): 1982–83, 2006–07, 2014–15
- Runners-up (2): 1974–75, 2009–10
Coupe Charles Drago
- Winners (3): 1952–53, 1962–63, 1963–64
Coupe Peugeot
- Winners (1): 1930–31
| valign="top" |
UEFA Cup
- Semi-finalists (1): 1980–81
UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Semi-finalists (1): 2001–02
Coupe des Alpes
- Runners-up (1): 1980–81
Mohammed V Cup
- Winners (1): 1988–89
|}
National records
- Largest victory: 12-1, on August 25, 1935, against Valenciennes
- Youngest player to achieve a hat-trick: Jérémy Ménez, on against Bordeaux at 17 years 8 months and 15 days
Club records
- Most consecutive seasons in Ligue 2: 9 (2014–2023)
- Largest home victory: 12-1, Sochaux vs. Valenciennes, 1935/1936 (Ligue 1)
- Largest away victory: 1-7, Lyon vs. Sochaux, 1987/1988 (Ligue 2)
- Largest home defeat: 0-5, Sochaux vs. Monaco, 1994/1995 (Ligue 1)<br>1-6, Sochaux vs. Ajaccio, 2017/2018 (Ligue 2)<br>1-6, Sochaux vs. Rennes, 2023/2024 (French Cup)
- Largest away defeat: 8-0, RC Paris vs. Sochaux, 1959/1960 (Ligue 1)
- Most appearances (all competitions): Albert Rust (454 matches)
- Most goals scored (all competitions): Roger Courtois (281 goals)
- Youngest player in an official match: Eliezer Mayenda (16 years, 7 months, and 10 days).
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Notable former players
Below are the notable former players who have represented Sochaux in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1928. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 200 official matches for the club.
For a complete list of Sochaux players, see :Category:FC Sochaux-Montbéliard players
- Cedric Bakambu
- Philippe Anziani
- Eugène Battmann
- Olivier Baudry
- Mehmed Baždarević
- Éric Benoît
- Serge Bourdoncle
- Roger Courtois
- Laurent Croci
- Omar Daf
- Abdel Djaadaoui
- Thierry Fernier
- Maxence Flachez
- Pierre-Alain Frau
- René Gardien
- Bernard Genghini
- Faruk Hadžibegić
- Fabrice Henry
- Michaël Isabey
- Zvonko Ivezić
- Pierre Lechantre
- Philippe Lucas
- Erwan Manac'h
- Bernard Maraval
- Jérémy Mathieu
- Vojislav Melić
- Jérémy Ménez
- Miranda
- Stéphane Paille
- Benoît Pedretti
- Ivan Perisic
- Romain Pitau
- Jean-Pierre Posca
- Maxence Prévot
- Claude Quittet
- Albert Rust
- Jean-Luc Ruty
- Adolphe Schmit
- Laszlo Seleš
- Franck Silvestre
- Yannick Stopyra
- Joseph Tellechéa
- Jean-Christophe Thomas
- Marcel Wassmer
- Jaouad Zairi
Honours
thumb|upright|250px|[[Jérémie Bréchet, with the club's 2007 Coupe de France trophy.]]
Domestic
thumb|Historical league performance chart of FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
- Ligue 1
- Champions: 1934–35, 1937–38
- Ligue 2
- Champions: 1946–47, 1987–88 , 2000–01
- Coupe de France
- Champions: 1936–37, 2006–07
- Runners-up: 1958–59, 1966–67, 1987–88
- Coupe de la Ligue
- Champions: 2003–04
- Runners-up: 2002–03
- Trophée des Champions
- Runners-up: 2007
- Coupe Charles Drago
- Champions: 1953, 1963, 1964
Other
- Coupe Peugeot
- Champions (1): 1931
- Mohammed V Cup
- Champions (1): 1989
- Joan Gamper Trophy
- Runners-up (1): 1989
Management and staff
;Senior club staff
- President: Frédéric Dong Bo
;Coaching staff
- Manager: Olivier Guégan
- Assistant coaches: Ali Boumnijel and Stéphane Mangione
- Goalkeeping coach: Gérard Gnanhouan
Managerial history
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dates
! Name
|-
| 1928–29
| Maurice Bailly
|-
| 1929–34
| Victor Gibson
|-
| 1934
| Maurice Bailly
|-
| 1934–36
| Conrad Ross
|-
| 1936
| André Abegglen
|-
| 1936–39
| Conrad Ross
|-
| 1939–44
| Paul Wartel
|-
| 1944–46
| Étienne Mattler
|-
| 1946–52
| Paul Wartel
|-
| 1952–57
| Gaby Dormois
|-
| 1957–60
| Paul Wartel
|-
| 1960–62
| Ludwig Dupal
|-
| 1962–66
| Roger Hug
|-
| 1966–67
| Georges Vuillaume
|-
| 1967–69
| Dobroslav Krstić
|-
| 1969–77
| Paul Barret
|-
| 1977–81
| Jean Fauvergue
|-
| 1981–84
| Pierre Mosca
|-
| 1984–85
| Silvester Takač
|-
| 1985–87
| Jean Fauvergue
|-
| 1987
| Paul Barret
|-
| 1987–94
| Silvester Takač
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dates
! Name
|-
| 9 December 1994 – 30 June 1995
| Jacques Santini
|-
| 1 July 1995 – 30 June 1996
| Didier Notheaux
|-
| 1 July 1996 – 4 October 1998
| Faruk Hadžibegić
|-
| 5 October 1998 – 31 August 1999
| Philippe Anziani
|-
| 1 September 1999 – 30 June 2002
| Jean Fernandez
|-
| 1 July 2002 – 6 July 2005
| Guy Lacombe
|-
| 7 July 2005 – 16 May 2006
| Dominique Bijotat
|-
| 1 August 2006 – 30 June 2007
| Alain Perrin
|-
| 1 July 2007 – 12 December 2007
| Frédéric Hantz
|-
| 12 December 2007 – 31 December 2007
| Jean-Luc Ruty (caretaker)
|-
| 2 January 2008 – 5 June 2011
| Francis Gillot
|-
| 10 June 2011 – 6 March 2012
| Mehmed Baždarević
|-
| 6 March 2012 – 26 September 2013
| Eric Hély
|-
| 27 September 2013 – 7 October 2013
| Omar Daf (caretaker)
|-
| 7 October 2013 – 18 May 2014
| Hervé Renard
|-
| 1 July 2014 – 15 September 2015
| Olivier Echouafni
|-
| Sep 2015
| Omar Daf & Eric Hély (caretakers)
|-
| Oct 2015–May 2017
| Albert Cartier
|-
| June 2017–May 2018
| Peter Zeidler
|-
| May 2018–Nov 2018
| José Manuel Aira
|-
| Nov 2018–June 2022
| Omar Daf
|-
| June 2022–May 2023
| Olivier Guégan
|-
| May 2023–June 2023
| Pierre-Alain Frau
|-
| July 2023–June 2024
| Oswald Tanchot
|-
| July 2024–Feb 2025
| Karim Mokeddem
|-
| Feb 2025–June 2025
| Frédéric Bompard
|-
| July 2025–
| Vincent Hognon
|-
|}
See also
- Works team