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Football Club de Metz () is a French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 1, the highest division in the French football league system, for the 2025–26 season following their promotion from the second division in the 2024–2025 season. They play their home matches at Stade Saint-Symphorien located within the city. The team is currently managed by Stéphane Le Mignan. Despite never winning the top flight, they have won the Coupe de France twice and the Coupe de la Ligue twice.
The club played in the French second division north from 1933, winning the league in 1935 and earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time. France – List of Final Tables Second Level rsssf.org, accessed: 17 May 2009 The team became a mid-table side in the first division until the outbreak of the war interfered with play once more. FCM did not take part in the top-tier regional competitions in 1939–40. France – First Division Results and Tables 1932–1998 rsssf.org, accessed: 17 May 2009
During World War II, due to the Moselle département being annexed by Germany, the club had to play under the Germanised name of FV Metz in the Gauliga Westmark. In the three completed seasons of this league from 1941 to 1944, the club finished runners-up each year. French clubs in the German football structure 1940–1944 rsssf.org, accessed: 31 May 2008
Despite the city of Metz being retaken by allied forces in autumn 1944, the club did not take part in French league football in 1944–45, but returned to Ligue 1 in 1945–46, to come 17th out of 18 clubs. An expansion of the league to 20 clubs meant, the team was not relegated and stayed at the highest level until 1950, when a last place finish ended its Ligue 1 membership. Metz was allowed to stay within Ligue 1 as a special privilege due to its catastrophic situation in the year following the war: the stadium had been damaged, almost beyond repair. The team had to start from scratch once again.
The club rebounded immediately, finishing second in Ligue 2, behind Lyon and returned to the first division. Metz made a strong return to this league, finishing fifth in its first season back. After this, the club once more had to battle against relegation season-by-season, finishing second-last in 1958 and having to return to Ligue 2. It took three seasons in this league before it could manage to return to Ligue 1 in 1961, but lasted for only one year in the top flight. Metz spent the next five seasons at second division level.
Metz ascended to the top level of French football once more in 1967; the team remained in the highest division until they were relegated in 2001, although they bounced back immediately and returned to the Ligue 1 the following year.
After losing the first leg of their 1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup tie 4–2 to FC Barcelona at Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz were widely expected to be thrashed at the Camp Nou. However, a hat-trick from Yugoslav striker Tony Kurbos gave Les Grenats a shock 4–1 win in the second leg to send the French side through 6–5 on aggregate.
In 1998, the team competed in the qualifications to the UEFA Champions League, but lost in the third round to Finnish team HJK Helsinki. In 2006, Metz were relegated from Ligue 1, finishing at the bottom of the table, despite the regular presence of an extremely promising prospect, Miralem Pjanić, who would later be transferred to giants Lyon, for an astonishing fee of €7.5 million. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Metz finished 18th in Ligue 2 and were relegated to the Championnat National, the third tier of French football after a 1–1 draw with Tours FC at home on 20 May 2012, in very tense circumstances. Metz spent only one season at this level, rebuilding a team with iconic former player Albert Cartier as coach, winning promotion to Ligue 2, and then immediately finishing first and winning promotion to Ligue 1. The team was relegated again to Ligue 2, but won promotion the next season. This time, Metz managed to secure a 14th place finish, ensuring another season in Ligue 1. For the 2017–18 Ligue 1 season, Metz endured a horrid campaign, losing eleven out of their first twelve matches. The club recovered later in the season but finished bottom of the table and were relegated back to Ligue 2.
On 26 April 2019, Metz were promoted back to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking by finishing first in Ligue 2. The promotion was confirmed with a 2–1 victory over Red Star. In the clubs first season back in the top flight, Metz finished 15th on the table followed by an improved 10th place finish the following season. In the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished 19th and were relegated back to Ligue 2. The club were promoted back to Ligue 1 as Ligue 2 runners-up for the 2022-23 season.
On Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 2023, there was a dispute at a youth football tournament on the field of SV Viktoria Preußen e.V. in the Eckenheim district of Frankfurt am Main between young players from Metz and JFC Berlin, in which a 16-year-old Morocco player from Metz killed a 15-year-old Germany player from JFC Berlin. On 12 June 2023, LFP Decision that Metz secure promotion to Ligue 1 from 2023–24 season after Bordeaux against Rodez has been suspended and return to top flight after one year absence. In the 2023–24 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished in the relegation/promotion playoff spot and faced off against Saint-Étienne from Ligue 2. Metz would lose the playoff 4-3 on aggregate and were relegated back to Ligue 2.
There are currently two ultras groups: Gradins Populaires Ouest and Horda Frénétik (founded 1997).
Metz has fan friendships with Toulouse FC, the German clubs Kaiserslautern and Eintracht Trier and the Italian club LR Vicenza.
| 1968–69 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | First round | Hamburger SV | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–7 | |
| 1969–70 | Napoli | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | |||
| 1984–85 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | FC Barcelona | 2–4 | 4–1 | 6–5 | ||
| Second round | Dynamo Dresden | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | |||
| 1985–86 | UEFA Cup | First round | Hajduk Split | 2–2 | 1–5 | 3–7 | |
| 1988–89 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | Anderlecht | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 | ||
| 1995 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Group stage (Group 6) | Keflavík | 2–1 | 1st Place | ||
| Partick Thistle | 1–0 | ||||||
| NK Zagreb | 1–0 | ||||||
| LASK | 1–0 | ||||||
| Round of 16 | Ceahlăul | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||||
| Quarter-finals | Strasbourg | 0–2 | 0–2 | ||||
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | First round | Tirol Innsbruck | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Second round | Sporting CP | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | |||
| Third round (round of 16) | Newcastle United | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | |||
| 1997–98 | First round | R.E. Mouscron | 4–1 | 2–0 | 6–1 | ||
| Second round | Karlsruher SC | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | |||
| 1998–99 | UEFA Champions League | Second Qualifying round | HJK | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |
| UEFA Cup | First round | Red Star Belgrade | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | ||
| 1999 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Second round | MŠK Žilina | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | |
| Third round | Lokeren | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 (a) | |||
| Semi-finals | Polonia Warsaw | 5–1 | 1–1 | 6–2 | |||
| Finals | West Ham United | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 |
| Manager | Stéphane Le Mignan |
| Assistant manager | Cyril LeBeau |
| Goalkeeping coach | Jean Claude Gourgelle |
| Physical trainer | Gauthier Netgen |
| Head doctors | Jules Gardenault Claude Chandelle |
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