The final of the French Football Cup, scheduled for Saturday May 25, will be held at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve-d'Ascq (North), near Lille, AFP learned from the French Football Federation ( FFF) Thursday.
Traditionally played at the Stade de France, the meeting could not be held there this year, due to work for the Olympic Games.
Candidate for the organization of this final, Lille was expected to be selected by the Federation due to the elimination of Lille in the round of 16 of the competition and was chosen by the Executive Committee of the Federation.
This will be the first time in 107 editions that the Coupe de France final has taken place outside the Paris region, since the event kicked off in 1917-1918.
“All the previous ones took place in Paris or in its close suburbs (Colombes, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen),” specifies the FFF.
Inaugurated on August 17, 2012, the Pierre-Mauroy stadium has a capacity of 50,100 seats, a prerequisite from the Federation for obtaining the match.
The Stade de France in Saint-Denis can accommodate 80,000 spectators.