AS Cannes

Did You Know?

• The club finished runner-up in the inaugural season of the French first division in 1932–33, losing 4–3 to Olympique Lillois on 14 May 1933.
• Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, and Johan Micoud are among the notable players who began their careers at Cannes.

History

Association Sportive de Cannes was founded on 4 August 1902 by English sportsman Herbert Lowe, who became its first president. In its early years the club also competed in swimming and athletics, and initially wore a black and blue kit before switching to red and white stripes after merging with Club Sportif de Cannes in 1905. Louis Grosso, a local furniture dealer, helped develop the football section. By 1920 Cannes played in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the French Football Federation, and developed rivalries with Nice and Marseille; the match against Nice is known as the Derby de la Côte d'Azur. The club opened the Stade Municipal de Cannes in 1921 with a 4–0 win over Espanyol. During the 1920s Cannes reached the Coupe de France semi-finals twice, led by French internationals Maurice Cottenet, Charles Bardot, and Raoul Dutheil. In 1932 the club won the Coupe de France by defeating RC Roubaix 1–0 at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes, with a goal from captain Louis Clerc. After the FFF voted 128–20 in favour of professionalism in July 1930, Cannes became professional and a founding member of the new league. In the league's first season Cannes finished runner-up to Olympique Lillois after a 4–3 loss on 14 May 1933; the club had originally placed second in its group behind Antibes but was declared group champion after Antibes was disqualified for suspected bribery. Cannes remained in Division 1 for a decade before being relegated to Division 2 in the 1948–49 season after finishing last. Cannes returned to the top division for the 1965–66 season but finished second from bottom, returning to Division 2. It took another 20 years before the club returned for the 1987–88 season, finishing 11th. In the 1990–91 season, Cannes finished fourth, qualifying for the UEFA Cup, with a squad featuring a young Zinedine Zidane, PSG loanee Amara Simba, and experienced players like Luis Fernandez. However, the club finished 19th the following season and was relegated, leading to Zidane's departure. Cannes returned to Division 1 for the 1994–95 season, finishing ninth under manager Safet Sušić. After finishing 15th in 1996–97 and last in 1997–98, the club has not returned to the first division. On 1 July 2014, Cannes was officially excluded from professional football due to a ruling from the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion. For the 2015–16 season, the club played in the Division of Honor in the Mediterranean Regional League. On 26 June 2023, it was announced that AS Cannes would become part of The Friedkin Group, which also includes AS Roma; Ryan Friedkin became the new president of the SAS managing the National 2 men's team. On 25 February 2025, Cannes reached the Coupe de France semi-final after defeating Ligue 2 club EA Guingamp 3–1, but lost 2–1 against Reims. On 16 May 2026, Cannes secured promotion to Ligue 3 after defeating US Lusitanos Saint-Maur 2–0 on the final matchday.