After long negotiations, the French Football Federation (FFF) and GL Events, the new concessionaire of the Stade de France, finally reached an agreement allowing the Blues to continue playing in the venue where they were crowned world champions in 1998. The FFF agreed to sign a pre-contract, with the final agreement expected to be reached by the end of the first quarter of 2026. According to The Teamthe system provides that the French team will be able to play at the Stade de France until the start of renovation work estimated at 120 million euros, which GL Events plans to start in 2027 and be completed no later than 2030. During this period, the FFF will retain the freedom to decide piecemeal the location of its matches, depending on the poster and the progress of the work. This could lead it to evolve further in the provinces or at the Parc des Princes in the coming years.
The financial aspect has also been reviewed to rebalance relations between the two parties. “There was in fact for a very long time a very significant economic imbalance to the disadvantage of the Federation. All discussions therefore focused on rebalancing. This new deal offers a differential of several million euros per season in favor of the Federation”explained Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, in the columns of The Team. Under the previous contract, the FFF paid around 2 million euros per match to play four per year and often lost money after costs. The new contract provides for rent indexed to ticketing revenue: the higher the attendance, the more the rent will increase, while a minimum will be guaranteed even in the event of low attendance, with an additional percentage on hospitality. An agreement that satisfies both parties.
