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French rugby is booming. The sport often associated with privilege, snobbery, and weird drinking games is now cool and trendy in France, with the national side enjoying a remarkable renaissance in the build-up to their home 2023 World Cup which has continued to grow two years later.
Top 14 clubs, known for refusing international teams access to their players, finally all sang from the same hymnsheet in an attempt to provide France with their first William Webb Ellis Cup. France endured heartbreak in the quarter-finals but the sport's popularity has failed to waver.
Fabian Galthie has become an icon, not just in the oval ball-obsessed south but across the country, with fans wearing his iconic thick frame glasses.
A Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022, Les Blues' first title in 12 years, boosted the sport's popularity to new heights. Suddenly, the likes of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack were household names, even in northern areas that lack a union presence.
Television ratings revealed by L'Equipe showed that the French rugby team attract a much higher average viewership than the star-studded football team, who posses global superstars. France football won their second World Cup in 2018 and reached the final of the showpiece event in 2022, but their popularity appears to be fading.
The consensus is Didier Deschamps' football team are lethargic and boring to watch, while Galthie's charges continue to light up the Six Nations, showcasing their renowned French flair on their way to the title.
French football is in a sorry state financially, and Ligue 1 is seeing its best talent move overseas.
DAZN is offering customers in France a three-month subscription to watch Ligue 1 matches if they buy a McDonald’s meal as the broadcaster remains well short of its 1.5m breakeven subscriber target.
Meanwhile, Canal+ possesses the highest television deal within domestic rugby, paying €696.8 million over five seasons for the rights of the Top 14 and Pro D2. For context, Premier Sports reportedly paid just £6m for their coverage of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in the UK this season.