Can Lyon Become the First French Club to Win the Europa League?

Can Lyon become the first French side to ever lift the UEFA Cup / Europa League? The early signs look promising, with the club currently sitting top of the 2025/26 league-phase standings.

Paulo Fonseca’s side are looking to make history at Beşiktaş Park on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, as they seek to write a new chapter not only in their own story, but in French football as a whole.

A frustrating history for French sides in the competition

Remarkably, across the 54-year history of the UEFA Cup / Europa League, a French club has never lifted the competition’s ultimate prize.

That is not to say French sides have not come close. Clubs from Ligue 1 have reached the final on five occasions, only to suffer defeat each time.

The most recent setback came in the 2017/18 final, when Marseille were beaten by Atlético Madrid. That was not Marseille’s only disappointment at the final hurdle, having also lost in the 1998/99 and 2003/04 finals.

Other French clubs to fall short include Bordeaux in 1995/96 and Bastia back in the 1977/78 final.

This season, Lyon are attempting to right that long-standing wrong. Fonseca’s men currently sit top of the 2025/26 Europa League league phase with 12 points from five matches.

Despite winning a wealth of domestic honours — including seven Ligue 1 titles and five Coupe de France trophies — Lyon have lifted only one European trophy. That came in 1997, when they won the Intertoto Cup.

Lyon reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League last season before being eliminated by eventual finalists Manchester United.

They also reached the same stage in their previous appearance in the competition in 2021/22, before being knocked out in the quarter-finals by another Premier League side, West Ham United.

Free-flowing at both ends of the pitch

Lyon claimed a 2-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles in their most recent Europa League league-phase match, with goals from Afonso Moreira and Pavel Šulc.

They will next travel to Switzerland to face Young Boys following the mini winter break in mid-January.

No side has scored more goals than Lyon’s 13 during the league phase so far, with the French club currently level with Midtjylland and PAOK.

Lyon’s goals have largely been spread throughout the squad, with Corentin Tolisso the only player to score more than twice in the competition so far, his four goals only bettered by Ludogorets forward Petar Stanić, who has five.

With the transfer window quietly creaking open ahead of next month, Lyon’s attacking options could soon be strengthened further, with out-of-favour Real Madrid striker Endrick expected to join on loan until the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Defensively, Lyon have been solid as a rock

Only Viktoria Plzeň have conceded fewer goals than Lyon in the 2025/26 Europa League so far, with Les Gones letting in just three across six matches.

Lyon’s defensive strength has not relied on a fixed back line. Fonseca has regularly rotated players including Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Tanner Tessmann, Ruben Kluivert, Moussa Niakhaté, Nicolás Tagliafico and Abner Vinícius.

This flexibility has allowed Lyon to manage workloads effectively, rotating between domestic and European commitments while maintaining a consistently strong defensive structure.

The bookies are not convinced — yet

Lyon are currently priced at around 12/1 to win the 2025/26 Europa League, making them only the sixth favourites despite their strong start.

Aston Villa are the bookmakers’ favourites at 7/2, with Porto, Roma, Real Betis and Nottingham Forest also ahead of Lyon in the market.

Europa League glory would also secure qualification for next season’s Champions League. France has produced two Champions League winners — Marseille in 1993 and, much more recently, Paris Saint-Germain — but there has still never been a French winner of Europe’s second-tier competition. Will that change in 2026?