For very different reasons, the next two matches organized at the Stade de France will be held in front of stands that are far from full. First this Saturday for France-Japan (9:10 p.m.) in rugby, and especially Thursday for France-Israel (8:45 p.m.) in Football.
The road to 2027 does not wait. After a disappointing final Tournament then a traumatic tour to Argentina, the French XV intends to launch a new cycle this Saturday against Japan (9:10 p.m.) with the next World Cup in Australia already in the back of their minds. This autumn window, also with New Zealand and Argentina on the menu, should allow the Blues to regain confidence and serenity. For the occasion, Antoine Dupont and his gang will return to their home at the Stade de France, where they have not set foot since their exit in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against South Africa , one evening in October 2023.
The three home matches of the 2024 Tournament had to be relocated to give the venue time to get a makeover before the Paris Olympic Games this summer. “We always enjoy playing at the Stade de France, even if the matches in the provinces were also interesting, with a different audience. We were able to reach more people than when we play in Paris. But this Stade de France is working pretty well for us. “, it's a pleasure to play there. There was this bad memory (against South Africa), but the page has turned,” confided this week the third row of the Blues and Stade Toulousain, François Cros.
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However, the atmosphere will not be the same as a year ago when the communion between the Blues and their public reached its peak during the World Cup at home. This evening, there should be between 45,000 and 50,000 supporters taking their places in the stands, in a stadium which can accommodate 80,000. Usually, the XV of France enjoys playing this type of match outside the capital. The ticket office for the three Blues matches during the last VI Nations, organized exceptionally in Marseille, Lille and Lyon, had also been taken by storm.
Fearful spectators for France-Israel
Playing this France-Japan in the provinces was what was initially planned before the Federation's plans were turned upside down for contractual reasons. “In November 2022, the France-South Africa was relocated to Marseille due to work on the RER lines in Île-de-France. We must contractually play a certain number of matches at the Stade de France, so this France- Japan in a way replaces the match against South Africa,” Claude Hélias, vice-treasurer of the FFR, told L’Equipe.
The Blues can rest assured, the Stade de France should not, however, sound hollow for the two shocks against New Zealand (November 16) and Argentina (November 22). The public should largely respond to these always prestigious posters.
This will not be the case next Thursday in Saint-Denis. On the football side, Didier Deschamps' French team will host Israel in the Nations League (8:45 p.m.). A match which will be played in a very particular security context, even more so after the violence that occurred Thursday evening after the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv, with Israeli supporters targeted in Amsterdam. As detailed by RMC Sport, the system, already substantial, could be further strengthened for this France-Israel. With in particular 2,500 members of the police deployed around the Stade de France.
Unsurprisingly, potential spectators preferred not to buy tickets. To date, only 20,000 tickets have been sold, which suggests a terribly low attendance. “This tense context can lead many spectators to feel fear,” confirmed Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, this Saturday in the columns of Ouest-France. “This is not normal. I deplore it, because football is made for sharing, regardless of religion and skin color. And that is why we are putting this security system in place to dispel this feeling of fear (…) By Thursday, I hope that the stadium will be more full than that, but it is clear that, contrary to our habits, this match will not be played behind closed doors.”
