Football Club de Metz (French pronunciation:[mɛs]ⓘ) is a French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. Founded in 1932, the club will compete in the Ligue 2, following relegation from the Ligue 1. They play their home matches at Stade Saint-Symphorien located within the city. The team is currently managed by Luc Holtz. Despite never winning the top flight, they have won the Coupe de France twice and the Coupe de la Ligue twice.

History

Metz was founded on 23 March 1932 by the amalgamation of two amateur athletic clubs, and shortly thereafter became a professional team; it is one of the oldest professional football teams in France. Its roots trace back further, to the SpVgg Metz club, formed in 1905 when the city of Metz was part of the German Empire. SpVgg played in the tier-one Westkreis-Liga for a season in 1913–14, before the outbreak of the First World War stopped all play. Some players of this club were part of the Cercle Athlétique Messin in 1919, which went on to become FC Metz in 1932. Messin was a leading club in the Division d'Honneur – Lorraine, taking out league titles in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1931.

The club played in the French second division north from 1933, winning the league in 1935 and earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time. The team became a mid-table side in the first division until the outbreak of the war interfered with play once more. FCM did not take part in the top-tier regional competitions in 1939–40.

During World War II, due to the Moselle département being annexed by Germany, the club had to play under the Germanised name of FV Metz in the Gauliga Westmark. In the three completed seasons of this league from 1941 to 1944, the club finished runners-up each year.

Despite the city of Metz being retaken by allied forces in autumn 1944, the club did not take part in French league football in 1944–45, but returned to Ligue 1 in 1945–46, to come 17th out of 18 clubs. An expansion of the league to 20 clubs meant, the team was not relegated and stayed at the highest level until 1950, when a last place finish ended its Ligue 1 membership. Metz was allowed to stay within Ligue 1 as a special privilege due to its catastrophic situation in the year following the war: the stadium had been damaged, almost beyond repair. The team had to start from scratch once again.

The club rebounded immediately, finishing second in Ligue 2, behind Lyon and returned to the first division. Metz made a strong return to this league, finishing fifth in its first season back. After this, the club once more had to battle against relegation season-by-season, finishing second-last in 1958 and having to return to Ligue 2. It took three seasons in this league before it could manage to return to Ligue 1 in 1961, but lasted for only one year in the top flight. Metz spent the next five seasons at second division level.

Metz ascended to the top level of French football once more in 1967; the team remained in the highest division until they were relegated in 2001, although they bounced back immediately and returned to the Ligue 1 the following year.

After losing the first leg of their 1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup tie 4–2 to Barcelona at Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz were widely expected to be thrashed at the Camp Nou. However, a hat-trick from Yugoslav striker Tony Kurbos gave Les Grenats a shock 4–1 win in the second leg to send the French side through 6–5 on aggregate.

In 1998, the team competed in the qualifications to the UEFA Champions League, but lost in the third round to Finnish team HJK Helsinki. In 2006, Metz were relegated from Ligue 1, finishing at the bottom of the table, despite the regular presence of an extremely promising prospect, Miralem Pjanić, who would later be transferred to giants Lyon, for an astonishing fee of €7.5 million. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Metz finished 18th in Ligue 2 and were relegated to the Championnat National, the third tier of French football after a 1–1 draw with Tours at home on 20 May 2012, in very tense circumstances. Metz spent only one season at this level, rebuilding a team with iconic former player Albert Cartier as coach, winning promotion to Ligue 2, and then immediately finishing first and winning promotion to Ligue 1. The team was relegated again to Ligue 2, but won promotion the next season. This time, Metz managed to secure a 14th place finish, ensuring another season in Ligue 1. For the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, Metz endured a horrid campaign, losing eleven out of their first twelve matches. The club recovered later in the season but finished bottom of the table and were relegated back to Ligue 2.

On 26 April 2019, Metz were promoted back to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking by finishing first in Ligue 2. The promotion was confirmed with a 2–1 victory over Red Star. In the clubs first season back in the top flight, Metz finished 15th on the table followed by an improved 10th place finish the following season. In the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished 19th and were relegated back to Ligue 2. The club were promoted back to Ligue 1 as Ligue 2 runners-up for the 2022-23 season.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 2023, there was a dispute at a youth football tournament on the field of SV Viktoria Preußen e.V. in the Eckenheim district of Frankfurt am Main between young players from Metz and JFC Berlin, in which a 16-year-old Moroccan player from Metz killed a 15-year-old German player from JFC Berlin.[citation needed]

On 12 June 2023, LFP Decision that Metz secure promotion to Ligue 1 from 2023–24 season after Bordeaux against Rodez has been suspended and return to top flight after one year absence. In the 2023–24 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished in the relegation/promotion playoff spot and faced off against Saint-Étienne from Ligue 2. Metz would lose the playoff 4-3 on aggregate and were relegated back to Ligue 2.

Supporters and rivalries

Metz's biggest rivals are Nancy, with whom they contest the Lorraine derby. The other major rivals are Strasbourg.

There are currently two ultras groups: Gradins Populaires Ouest and Horda Frénétik (founded 1997).

Metz has fan friendships with Toulouse, the German clubs Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Trier and the Italian club Vicenza.

Stadium

FC Metz home Stadium Stade Saint-Symphorien

Metz plays its home matches at Stade Saint-Symphorien, which has a capacity of 25,636. Thus, it is the largest venue dedicated to football in Lorraine.

Crest

Its official colours are grenat (maroon) and white, from which the team derives its nickname Les Grenats. The team's crest features the Lorraine cross, symbolic of the team's regional affiliation, and the dragon called the Graoully, which in local legend was tamed by Saint Clement of Metz.

Youth academy

Metz also gained recognition in France and Europe for its successful youth academy, which produced star players including: Rigobert Song, Robert Pires, Louis Saha, Emmanuel Adebayor, Papiss Cissé, Miralem Pjanić, Kalidou Koulibaly and Sadio Mané. The city's proximity to Luxembourg (about 55km) plays a significant role in the importation of young prospects. The club's board has close ties with the Luxembourgish Football Federation. Nicolas "Nico" Braun, the team's top all-time goalscorer, as well as Pjanić or more recently Chris Philipps, have played in the G-D's amateur leagues before joining "les Grenats".

Metz in European football

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
1968–69Inter-Cities Fairs CupFirst roundGermany Hamburger SV1–42–33–7
1969–70Italy Napoli1–11–22–3
1984–85UEFA Cup Winners' CupSpain Barcelona2–44–16–5
Second roundEast Germany Dynamo Dresden0–01–31–3
1985–86UEFA CupFirst roundSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Hajduk Split2–21–53–7
1988–89UEFA Cup Winners' CupBelgium Anderlecht1–30–21–5
1995UEFA Intertoto CupGroup stage (Group 6)Iceland Keflavík—N/a2–11st Place
Scotland Partick Thistle1–0—N/a
Croatia NK Zagreb—N/a1–0
Austria Linzer ASK1–0—N/a
Round of 16Romania Ceahlăul—N/a2–02–0
Quarter-finalsFrance Strasbourg0–2—N/a0–2
1996–97UEFA CupFirst roundAustria Tirol Innsbruck1–00–01–0
Second roundPortugal Sporting CP2–01–23–2
Third round (round of 16)England Newcastle United1–10–21–3
1997–98First roundBelgium R.E. Mouscron4–12–06–1
Second roundGermany Karlsruher SC0–21–11–3
1998–99UEFA Champions LeagueSecond Qualifying roundFinland HJK1–10–11–2
UEFA CupFirst roundFederal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade2–11–23–3(3–4 p)
1999UEFA Intertoto CupSecond roundSlovakia MŠK Žilina3–01–24–2
Third roundBelgium Lokeren0–12–12–2 (a)
Semi-finalsPoland Polonia Warsaw5–11–16–2
FinalsEngland West Ham United1–31–02–3

Honours

Metz has never won the French championship; its best result was a second-place finish in 1998, behind Lens. The title race lasted until the ultimate fixture, however Metz never recovered from a 0–2 loss against Lens on their home turf. Metz won the Coupe de France twice, in 1984 and 1988, the first of these victories enabled it to qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup where it achieved arguably the team's greatest moment, an upset of Barcelona in the first round of the competition in October 1984. It lost 4–2 at home in the first leg but won 4–1 away in the return leg, thus qualifying 6–5 on aggregate, making Metz unique among the French teams who have beaten Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Metz also won the Coupe de la Ligue twice, in 1986 and 1996, and has made a total of ten appearances in European tournaments.

Historical league performance chart of FC Metz

Players

Current squad

As of 31 July 2026

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.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK DEN Jonathan Fischer 2 DF FRA Maxime Colin 4 DF GAB Urie-Michel Mboula 9 FW GEO Giorgi Abuashvili (on loan from Kolkheti 1913) 10 FW FRA Gauthier Hein (captain) 12 MF SEN Alpha Touré 17 FW FRA Joseph Mangondo 20 MF FRA Jessy Deminguet 21 MF FRA Jahyann Pandore 22 FW COD Nathan Mbala 25 DF FRA Cléo Mélières 30 FW SEN Habib Diallo 33 MF FRA Believe MunongoNo. Pos. Nation Player 38 FW LUX Hamza Kadamani 40 GK SEN Ousmane Ba 61 GK SEN Pape Sy 70 DF SEN Bouna Sarr 98 DF COM Idris Mohamed — DF COL Cristian Devenish — DF FRA Florian Miguel — DF FRA Jean Ruiz — MF SEN Nampalys Mendy — FW CMR Morgan Bokele — FW SEN Pape Moussa Fall — FW SEN Ibou Sané — FW FRA Édouard Soumah-Abbad
1GKDENJonathan Fischer
2DFFRAMaxime Colin
4DFGABUrie-Michel Mboula
9FWGEOGiorgi Abuashvili (on loan from Kolkheti 1913)
10FWFRAGauthier Hein (captain)
12MFSENAlpha Touré
17FWFRAJoseph Mangondo
20MFFRAJessy Deminguet
21MFFRAJahyann Pandore
22FWCODNathan Mbala
25DFFRACléo Mélières
30FWSENHabib Diallo
33MFFRABelieve Munongo
No.Pos.NationPlayer
38FWLUXHamza Kadamani
40GKSENOusmane Ba
61GKSENPape Sy
70DFSENBouna Sarr
98DFCOMIdris Mohamed
—DFCOLCristian Devenish
—DFFRAFlorian Miguel
—DFFRAJean Ruiz
—MFSENNampalys Mendy
—FWCMRMorgan Bokele
—FWSENPape Moussa Fall
—FWSENIbou Sané
—FWFRAÉdouard Soumah-Abbad

Out on loan

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.NationPlayer
No. Pos. Nation Player — DF TOG Yannis Lawson (at Seraing until 30 June 2027)No. Pos. Nation Player — FW SWE Joel Asoro (at Djurgårdens until 15 August 2026)
—DFTOGYannis Lawson (at Seraing until 30 June 2027)
No.Pos.NationPlayer
—FWSWEJoel Asoro (at Djurgårdens until 15 August 2026)

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Metz in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1932. To appear in the section below, a player must have played at least a full season for the club.

Current technical staff

PositionName
Head coachLuc Holtz
Assistant coachHugues Prévost
Goalkeeping coachChristophe Marichez
Physical trainerGauthier Netgen
Head doctorsJules Gardenault Claude Chandelle

Managerial history

External links

  • (in French)
  • at UEFA
  • Media related toFC Metzat Wikimedia Commons