Women’s World Cup France 2019: Where are the games being played?

The FIFA Women’s World Cup gets under way this month shining the spotlight on some of France’s favourite cities

France is hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time this summer with football fans anticipating a spectacular month of sport.

The host nation will be hoping for a double World Cup win after the men’s team became champions of the world at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

In the Women’s World Cup, France is in Group A and plays South Korea in a highly anticipated opening match on 7 June. England are in Group D and will be in action against Scotland on 9 June.

There will be 52 matches taking place across the length and breadth of France. Here is our guide to the nine host cities where the sporting drama will unfold.

PARIS

French singer Jain is performing at the Opening Ceremony at Paris’s Parc des Princes on Friday, 7 June ahead of the opening match between France and South Korea.

The Parc des Princes stadium is located in the south-west of Paris in the 16th arrondissement and has been the home stadium of top European football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974.

During the Women’s World Cup a Village FIFA Fan Experience has also been set up at the heart of the Forum des Halles shopping centre in Rue Berger.

RENNES

Capital of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Rennes is the largest city in Brittany.It was predominately rural until the second half of the 20th century when it underwent rapid growth. R

ennes has maintained a significant medieval heritage with an impressive castle gate and two towers, the Portes Mordelaises, in pride of place in its historic centre.

Roazhon Park, in west-central Rennes, was built in 1912 and is home to Stade Rennais FC. It was known as Stade de la Route de Lorient until 2015 when it was renamed Roazhon, which means Rennes in Breton.

LE HAVRE

This city in the Seine-Maritime department flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries thanks to its port. While the city centre was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, architect Auguste Perret oversaw a redesign between 1945 and 1964 with Le Havre designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Its Stade Océane is the home ground of Le Havre Athletic Club, the oldest surviving football and rugby club in France, founded in 1872.

Built on the site of an old rail yard the Stade Océane is a relatively new landmark, opening its doors in 2012.

REIMS

The cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims is one of the most renowned in France and is just one reason to visit this historic city in Champagnes-Ardennes.

Reims is the 12th most populous city in France, brimming with monuments and museums, not to mention champagne. The world-famous drink originated nearby and strongly contributed to its development.

Its Stade Auguste-Delaune hosts the home matches of Stade Reims and was initially designed as a multi-use velodrome. It was revamped in 2008 and can accommodate up to 20,500 spectactors.

VALENCIENNES

The large French city of Valenciennes is situated in the Nord department, 15km from the Belgian border.

Its local economy was powered by steel and textiles and it is historically renowned for its lace. Sites of interest include the Basilica of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon, the Jesuit library and Museum of Fine Arts. Stade du Hainaut, in Avenue des Sports, hosts the home matches of Valenciennes FC where several big name players have passed through including French internationals Joseph Bonnel and Didier Six.

GRENOBLE

The largest city in the Alps and the capital of the Isère department, Grenoble is one of the most important centres of scientific research in Europe.

It is home to the Museum of Grenoble, one of France’s leading museums of fine art, and the Museum of Natural History. The Stade des Alpes, in Paul Mistral Park, is a rugby and football stadium. It hosts Grenoble Foot 38 which was founded in 1897 and is one of the oldest clubs in France.

NICE

Located in the south-east corner of France, this coastal city is the economic and cultural capital of the Côte d’Azur.

The old town is typical of a fortified Mediterranean city with pretty narrow streets and the iconic Promenade des Anglais, famous casinos and Nice Carnival attract millions of tourists every year. Nice is also home to one of the oldest football clubs in France – OGC Nice. Founded in 1904, Nice have won the French title on four occasions, all of them in the 1950s. Its home, the Stade de Nice, opened in 2013 and is located in the neighbourhood of Saint-Isodore.

MONTPELLIER

Five million people visit Montpellier, in the south of France, every year to admire its medieval streets and squares, including the Place de la Comédie and the Trois Grâces fountain. The capital of the Hérault department has internationally-renowned universities and schools of higher education and a busy calendar of annual sporting and cultural events, including the International Festival of Extreme Sports and Montpellier Danse.

Its Stade de la Mosson has been the home of Montpellier HSC since 1974 and was entirely rebuilt in 1998 for that year’s FIFA World Cup.

LYON

An industrial powerhouse, Lyon is a hive of cutting-edge technology and has the second largest student population in France.

It hosts the popular Festival of Lights in December and an annual film festival which pays tribute to the Lumiere brothers who invented cinematography in Lyon in 1895. Lyon is also famous for its painted walls, especially the Fresque des Lyonnais, a mural featuring several local celebrities.

The Stade de Lyon is located in the eastern suburb of Decines-Charpieu and is the home of French football club Olympique Lyonnais. It is the third largest stadium in France, capable of hosting 57,900 spectators and is also one of the most modern having only opened in 2016.

The semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup on 2 and 3 July and the final, on 7 July, will be played in Lyon.

To keep up to date with all the results visit fifa.com/womensworldcup/

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