Coupe de France Féminine

The Coupe de France féminine is France’s premier knockout cup competition for women’s football clubs. Formerly known as the Challenge de France until 2011, it was founded in 2001 and is open to all professional and amateur women’s teams in the country.

The Coupe de France féminine follows an autumn-to-spring schedule, typically starting in October and concluding in May. It consists of federal, regional, and final phases, with the first two phases narrowing the participants down to 32 teams.

Starting in the 2023-2024 season, the competition welcomed clubs from French overseas territories for the first time. Participation is voluntary for regional teams but mandatory for clubs in D3 Féminine (the third-tier women’s football league) and higher. The Coupe de France féminine champion qualifies for the Trophée des Championnes, the French women’s super cup, where they face the winner of the Première Ligue (the top-flight women’s league).

Olympique Lyonnais has unsurprisingly been a powerhouse in this competition, winning an impressive six consecutive titles between 2011 and 2017. Montpellier and PSG have also enjoyed success in the Coupe de France féminine, with the latter beating Olympique Lyonnais in the 2017-18 final to deny them an eighth — and possibly ninth — successive trophy.