Six months after a joint takeover involving Europe’s wealthiest man and the drinks giant Red Bull, Paris FC clinched promotion to Ligue 1 with a 1-1 draw at Martigues on Friday.
This means Paris FC will join Paris Saint-Germain in the French top division for the first time in 35 years.
In other Ligue 1 action, another billionaire-owned club, Nice, secured a 1-0 win over Reims, moving back into a Champions League spot.
Morgan Sanson, who scored twice in Nice’s recent win against the reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, netted the only goal of the game with a 15th-minute rebound.
Nice’s late surge in the league is set to benefit British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who owns the Riviera club and also holds a stake in Manchester United.
Meanwhile, in Martigues, Paris FC secured their spot in Ligue 1 after Bernard Arnault, the founder of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, led a majority takeover of the club in November. Arnault’s family, known for their ownership of iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton and Moet & Chandon, has big plans for the club.
Paris FC took the lead through Pierre-Yves Hamel’s goal in the 49th minute, but Martigues equalised ten minutes later from a corner.
With third-place Metz drawing 3-3 at home to Rodez, Paris FC are guaranteed to finish second in Ligue 2, with one round of games remaining. They sit just two points behind Lorient and could still finish top of the division in their final game against Ajaccio.
Antoine Arnault, Bernard’s eldest son, spoke of the ambitious vision to transform the historically small club into a significant force, while Red Bull took a minority stake in the project.
Paris FC, currently playing at the Charlety Stadium, plan to move to the Stade Jean-Bouin, a 19,600-capacity rugby ground near PSG’s Parc des Princes, which will further fuel the local rivalry.
Despite the proximity, Antoine Arnault made it clear that they would not engage in negative rivalry talk with PSG, instead focusing on developing homegrown talent from the Paris region, with a goal to build a squad featuring players from their youth academy.