About Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais, commonly referred to as simply Lyon or OL, is a men's French professional football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950.
The club currently competes in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. They play their home matches at the 59,186-capacity Parc Olympique Lyonnais, commercially known as the Groupama Stadium, in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb in the Metropolis of Lyon. The club's home colors are white, red and blue. Lyon was a member of the G14 group of leading European football clubs and are founder members of its successor, the European Club Association.
Club Achievement
The club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, beginning a national record-setting streak of seven successive titles. Lyon has also won eight Trophées des Champions, five Coupes de France, and three Ligue 2 titles. On a European level, the team has participated in the UEFA Champions League seventeen times, reaching the semi-final of the competition during the 2009–10 season and the 2019–20 season, and have made it to the quarterfinals in three other occasions. They have also qualified for the Europa League numerous times, making it as far as the semi-final during the 2016–17 season.
Current Situation
The club's nickname, Les Gones, translates to "The Kids" in Lyon's regional dialect of Franco-Provençal. They have a long-standing rivalry with nearby team Saint-Étienne, against whom they contest the Le Derby. French businessman Jean-Michel Aulas purchased Lyon in June 1987 until it was purchased by American businessman John Textor in December 2022. Michele Kang was eventually announced president of the club in June 2025 following Textor's resignation from his leadership position due to the poor financial state of Lyon.
