There is no Champions League, Europa League, or Conference League this week, so the domestic competitions in Europe are wrapping up, and the semi-finals of the Coupe de France are taking place this week, starting today, Tuesday, with a duel between Lens and Toulouse, and following on Wednesday with Strasbourg and Nice.
This year an opportunity arose as Paris Saint-Germain, with the record of more wins, was eliminated very early in the competition, at round of 32, eliminated by neighbours Paris FC back in January.
Remarkably, none of the four teams in semis have won the Coupe de France too many times. Strasbourg won the Cup three times, the last time in 2001, and Nice also won the Cup three times, the last time in 1997. Toulouse won the Cup only once in 2023, but Lens has never won it, and was runner-up three times, the last time in 1998.
Coupe de France semi-finals and final:
Lens vs. Toulouse: Tuesday, April 21, 21:10 CEST, 20:10 BST
Strasbourg vs. Nice: Wednesday, April 22, 21:00 CEST, 20:00 BST
Final: May 23, 2026
The winner of the competition also gets qualified for Europa League. For Lens, who has almost secured a Champions League spot as runner-ups of the Ligue 1, that doesn't mean much (they still have options of winning the League is PSG has another slip).
But the other three are far from European spots, some quite low in the league: Strasbourg is seventh, Tolouse is 11th, and Nice is 15th. In Ligue 1, only the top three will qualify for Champions League under normal conditions, the fourth would go to Europa League and the fifth to Conference League.
Will you follow the Coupe de France semi-finals this week?