The fall has reached the regional game. Bordeaux, once a Ligue 1 institution, have already left the Coupe de France after a 5-1 fourth-round defeat to Angoulême at Sainte-Germaine in Le Bouscat. Their Regional 1 campaign is now set to begin with an away match against Aviron Bayonnais’ reserve side on 17 October at 3pm.
Five years from Ligue 1 to the regional leagues
Gérard Lopez took control of Bordeaux in July 2021, replacing Jean-Louis Gasset despite Gasset having guided the club to a 12th-place Ligue 1 finish and clear of relegation danger. Lopez later sold the club to investment fund Park Bench, but Bordeaux’s descent had already taken them from the top flight to Regional 1 in the space of five seasons.
- 2021-22: relegation from Ligue 1 after a troubled season under Vladimir Petkovic and David Guion.
- 2022-23: a third-place Ligue 2 finish, followed by punishment after the abandoned home match against Rodez.
- 2023-24: financial sanctions, loss of professional status and demotion to National 2.
- 2024-25: fourth place in the fourth tier despite the arrival of Andy Carroll.
- 2025-26: exclusion from the national competitions and a further drop into Regional 1.
Petkovic’s short reign and a historic relegation
Lopez’s first major managerial choice was Vladimir Petkovic, appointed after leading Switzerland to victory over France at Euro 2020. The former Switzerland coach lasted only until 6 February 2022.
At the time of his dismissal, Bordeaux were 19th in Ligue 1 and Petkovic held the club’s lowest win percentage for 56 years, at 17.4%. David Guion took over, but could not prevent Bordeaux from finishing bottom of the table and suffering their first top-flight relegation since 1991.
The season also included the end of an extraordinary home record against Marseille. Bordeaux lost 1-0 to OM, their first home defeat in that fixture since 1977.
Financial control body the DNCG initially sent Bordeaux down to the National division, before the French Football Federation executive committee ultimately kept them in Ligue 2.
A missed promotion and the financial spiral
Bordeaux came close to an immediate return in 2022-23. With Josh Maja scoring goals, Guion’s side finished third in Ligue 2, behind champions Le Havre and runners-up Metz, who ended three points ahead. There were no promotion play-offs that season.
The decisive final-day match against Rodez, watched by more than 41,000 people, was abandoned in the 27th minute after a Bordeaux supporter assaulted Rodez player Lucas Buades. The French Olympic and Sports Committee ruled that Bordeaux would forfeit the match and receive a one-point deduction for the following campaign.
They finished 12th in Ligue 2 under Albert Riera in 2023-24, but the more serious damage came during the summer. The DNCG imposed administrative relegation to National, and the club then dropped to National 2 after entering judicial restructuring proceedings.
- A proposed takeover by Fenway Sports Group offered supporters hope of avoiding insolvency, but the deal collapsed.
- Bordeaux appeared before the DNCG four times during that summer.
- By mid-August, the club had failed to persuade the CNOSF to recommend reinstatement in National.
- The consequences included the loss of professional status, closure of the academy and 90 job losses.
Carroll, Mavuba and the final national exit
Without access to the Matmut Atlantique at the start of 2024-25, Bordeaux began life in National 2 behind closed doors at Sainte-Germaine, entering the league on the third matchday. Bruno Irles’ side brought in former England striker Andy Carroll in September, but finished fourth.
That campaign also saw former Bordeaux players Rio Mavuba and Paul Baysse register playing licences to prevent the reserve team, competing in National 3, from having to forfeit fixtures. Former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn also explored a takeover, but that attempt did not succeed.
The club’s stadium was subsequently renamed Stade Atlantique de Bordeaux after the Matmut naming agreement was not renewed. In late March of the following season, Irles was dismissed after a defeat damaged Bordeaux’s hopes of reaching Ligue 3. Mavuba replaced him, but Bordeaux ended second in their National 2 group, two points behind La Roche.
Promotion hopes were then overtaken by another financial failure. Investment fund Sparta Capital did not raise the €10 million required to finance the next season, leading the DNCG to exclude Bordeaux from the national championships.
Regional 1 is now the consequence. Before the league programme has even begun, Bordeaux’s Coupe de France run is over, leaving the trip to Bayonne in October as the next marker in a descent that has taken one of French football’s old powers out of the national pyramid.
