Fédérale 2
| Current season, competition or edition: 2025–2026 Fédérale 2 season | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| No. of teams | 96 |
| Country | France |
| Most recent champion | Cahors (2nd title) (2024–25) |
| Most titles | |
| Level on pyramid | Level 6 |
| Promotion to | Fédérale 1 |
| Relegation to | Fédérale 3 |
Fédérale 2 is a rugby union club championship division in France. It is the sixth division of rugby above Fédérale 3. Teams can earn promotion to Fédérale 1, and subsequently, to the National 2 and Nationale leagues, and on to the professional leagues such as Rugby Pro D2 and the Top 14.
History
At the end of the 1996–1997 season, there were changes made to the national club competitions in France:
- Groups A1 and A2 were separated from the 1st division, with Group A2 corresponding to the 2nd tier.
- Group B was also divided into two divisions, taking the names Nationale 1 and Nationale 2, corresponding to the 3rd and 4th divisions of French rugby.
- The teams from the 2nd division championship (corresponding in 1996 to the 3rd tier) are relegated to Nationale 2.
- The 3rd division championship (corresponding in 1996 to the 4th tier) would not take the name Nationale 3 until 1999, and was positioned at the 5th tier of French rugby.
The competition has had different names over the years:
- National 2 (from 1997 to 2001)
- Federal 2 (since 2001)
In 2021, the French Rugby Federation (FRF) announced a reform of its amateur competitions.[1] Three new regional divisions, managed exclusively by the leagues, replaced the Honneur, Promotion d'Honneur, and Séries competitions.[1]
Format
The competition involves 96 teams (8 pools of 12) and is played in two phases: a preliminary phase and a final phase. At the end of each season, eight teams are promoted to Fédérale 1 and sixteen are relegated to Fédérale 3.
Preliminary phase
96 teams are divided into four geographical sectors, each comprising two groups of twelve teams. The top two teams from each pool, a total of 16 teams, qualify directly for the round of 32. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th ranked teams compete in a play-off to reach the round of 32. The bottom two teams in each pool, 16 teams in total, are relegated to Fédérale 3.
Final phase
The final phase consists of a knockout tournament starting at the round of 32, where the 32 teams that qualified from the preliminary phase are drawn. All round of 32 and round of 16 matches are played over two legs, while the remaining matches are single matches played on neutral ground. The eight teams reaching the quarter-finals are all promoted to Fédérale 1, with the team winning the final being crowned Fédérale 2 champion.
Current teams
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antony Métro 92 | Bièvre Saint-Geoirs RC | AS Monaco | Avenir Castanéen Rugby |
| Bourges XV | CS Villefranche Beaujolais | Avignon Le Pontet Rugby | Balma ORC |
| COM Bagneux | CS Lons | RO Grasse | Coq Léguevinois |
| CO Creusot Bourgogne | FC Saint-Claude | RC Aubagne | ES Gimont |
| Paris UC | RC Rillieux | RC Les Angles | FC Villefranche |
| RC Auxerre | RC Andrézieux-Bouthéon | RCM Palavas | JO Prades |
| RC Vincennes | RCP Saint-Jeannais | SO Millau | Lombez Samatan Club |
| RC Clermont Cournon | RC des Vallons-de-la-Tour | Saint-Marcellin Sports | Salanque Côte Radieuse |
| RC Riom | Saint-Priest Rugby | Servian Boujan Rugby | SC Rieumes |
| Rugby Tango Chalonnais | Saint-Savin Sportif | Stade Piscénois | SC Leucate |
| US Ris-Orangis | SO Voiron | SU Cavaillonnais | US Thuir |
| US Nantua HBR | XV de la Dombes | UMS Montélimar | US Quillan |
| Pool 5 | Pool 6 | Pool 7 | Pool 8 |
| AS Pont-Long | ASV Lavaur | AS Mérignac | C' Chartres Rugby |
| Boucau Tarnos Stade | EV Malemort BO | CA Lormont | CSM Gennevilliers |
| Emak Hor Rugby | RC Arpajon Veinazès | FC Yonnais | Évreux AC |
| Entente Aramits Asasp | Stade Rodez Aveyron | RC Sablais | Le Havre AC |
| Hasparren AC | Rugby Causse Vézère | Rion Morcenx CR | MLSGP Rugby |
| Inthalatz Rugby Larressore | SC Decazeville | RC Villeneuve | Plaisir RC |
| Oursbelille Bordères RC | Sor Agout XV | SC Surgères | RC Roubaix |
| Stade Navarrais | Stade Beaumontois | Stade Bordelais | RC Versailles |
| US Coarraze Nay | Stade Belvesois | US Bazas | RC Pays de Meaux |
| US Morlaàs | UA Vergt | US Castillon | SC Le Rheu |
| US Mouguerre | USC Alban | US Mugron | SCUF Rugby |
| USEP Ger Séron Bédeille | US Caussade | US Casteljaloux | Stade Caennais RC |
Past champions
| Season | Champion |
|---|---|
| National 2 | |
| 1996–97 | US Tours |
| 1997–98 | Céret Sportif |
| 1998–99 | Union Sportive Bressane |
| 1999–00 | CS Lons Jura |
| 2000–01 | Blagnac Rugby |
| Fédérale 2 | |
| 2001–02 | AC Bobigny 93 Rugby |
| 2002–03 | Cahors Rugby |
| 2003–04 | Paris Université Club |
| 2004–05 | CSM Gennevilliers |
| 2005–06 | US Nafarroa |
| 2006–07 | Avenir Valencien |
| 2007–08 | US Carcassonne |
| 2008–09 | Avenir Castanéen |
| 2009–10 | Blagnac Rugby |
| 2010–11 | RC Stade Phocéen |
| 2011–12 | CS Vienne |
| 2012–13 | SO Chambéry |
| 2013–14 | SA XV Charente |
| 2014–15 | RC Strasbourg |
| 2015–16 | Saint-Jean-de-Luz OR |
| 2016–17 | RC Hyères Carqueiranne La Crau |
| 2017–18 | AS Bédarrides Châteauneuf-du-Pape |
| 2018–19 | US Issoire |
| 2019–20 | FRF announced the cancellation of amateur competitions due to the lockdown period following the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3] |
| 2020–21 | |
| 2021–22 | RO Agathois |
| 2022–23 | AS Layrac |
| 2023–24 | US Montmélian |
| 2024–25 | Cahors Rugby |
| 2025–26 | TBD |
References
- ^ a b Perrin, Thibault (2021-10-16). "AMATEUR. La FFR officialise la création de la Nationale 2 et des divisions régionales !". Rugbynistere (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "COVID-19 : arrêt des compétitions de rugby amateur pour la saison 2019-2020". Fédération Française de Rugby (in French). 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Bureau fédéral : arrêt des compétitions amateurs pour la saison 2020-2021". Fédération Française de Rugby (in French). 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)