Top 14 Rugby: A Guide to French Club Rugby's Premier League
We started selling Top 14 tickets a few years ago, partly because the demand was there and partly because we kept getting asked. A lot of people planning a trip to France for the Six Nations would ask whether there was anything worth watching in the club season, and the answer was always yes — emphatically. This guide covers what the Top 14 is, who the main clubs are, and what to expect if you go.
What Is the Top 14?
The Top 14 is the professional rugby union league of France, organised by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Fourteen clubs compete across a regular season running September to June, with play-offs in May and June culminating in a final at the Stade de France. It's been running in various forms since 1892.
In practical terms it's one of the two strongest club rugby competitions in the world alongside the English Premiership. The squads are genuinely international — a typical Top 14 roster will include players from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the British Isles alongside French internationals. Wages are competitive, which is why so many of the world's best players end up there at some point in their careers.
How the Top 14 Works
Each of the fourteen clubs plays the other thirteen twice during the regular season — home and away — for 26 rounds. Four points for a win, two for a draw. Bonus points are available for scoring four or more tries (one point) or losing by seven or fewer (one point).
The top six clubs at the end of the regular season go into the play-offs. The top two host the semi-finals against third and fourth. The two winners then meet in the final at the Stade de France, which typically sells out well in advance — around 79,000 people.
At the bottom, the two clubs finishing thirteenth and fourteenth are relegated to Pro D2, while the top two from Pro D2 come up. Relegation battles in the Top 14 tend to produce some of the most intense rugby of the season.
The Main Clubs
Stade Toulousain — Toulouse
Toulouse are the benchmark. More French championship titles than any other club, multiple European Champions Cup victories, and a consistent ability to develop world-class players. Antoine Dupont came through the system there. They play at Stade Ernest-Wallon in Toulouse, which is a proper rugby ground in a proper rugby city — the south of France takes the sport seriously in a way that's hard to overstate. If you want to understand what Top 14 rugby is at its peak, a match in Toulouse is the place to start.
Browse Stade Toulousain tickets
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is the story of the last decade in French rugby. A club that spent years in the lower divisions, they rose quickly and have since reached multiple Champions Cup finals, winning the European title in consecutive seasons. The Stade Marcel-Deflandre is compact — around 18,000 capacity — which makes it loud and close to the pitch. Customers who've been say it's one of those grounds where you feel very much in the match rather than watching from a distance. Tickets go quickly.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles
UBB play at Stade Chaban-Delmas in central Bordeaux. The club has grown steadily into a title contender over recent seasons, and Bordeaux as a city makes the trip straightforward to justify — the food, the wine, the architecture. A UBB home matchday is one of the more enjoyable combinations of rugby and city break we can point customers towards.
The Rest of the Field
The depth of the Top 14 is part of what makes it interesting. Racing 92 from Paris, Clermont Auvergne, Montpellier, Castres, RC Toulon (three-time European champions), Stade Français — none of these clubs are making up the numbers. Regional rivalries run deep, and matches between clubs from the same part of the country carry the kind of edge you'd expect when communities have been competing against each other for over a century.
What Attending a Top 14 Match Is Like
French rugby culture is regional in a way that's different from anything you'd find in England or Ireland. Clubs represent cities and parts of the country in a very direct sense, and you feel that at the ground. Before kick-off, the city centre pubs and brasseries fill up. At the stadium there are brass bands, chanting, and an atmosphere that doesn't let up.
Ground sizes vary a lot — from Toulouse's 19,000-capacity Ernest-Wallon to larger modern arenas. Many have standing areas that create something closer to a European football atmosphere than a typical rugby crowd. It's worth knowing what you're going to before you go.
For visitors from outside France, the combination of Top 14 rugby and a weekend in one of the cities involved is still relatively undiscovered. Toulouse, Bordeaux and La Rochelle all work as short breaks in their own right. The rugby is a reason to go, and the rest of the trip fills itself in.
How to Buy Top 14 Tickets
Popular fixtures — derbies, and anything involving Toulouse, La Rochelle or Bordeaux — sell through official channels quickly. Rugby Box Office offers tickets to a range of Top 14 matches, with secure delivery and our RBO Guarantee on eligible bookings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Top 14?
France's elite professional rugby union league. Fourteen clubs compete from September to June, with play-offs culminating in a final at the Stade de France. Widely considered one of the two strongest club rugby competitions in the world.
Which clubs are in the Top 14?
Stade Toulousain, Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle), Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Racing 92, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Montpellier, RC Toulon, Castres Olympique, Stade Français, Section Paloise and Aviron Bayonnais are regular participants. Two clubs are promoted from Pro D2 each season, so the full list shifts slightly.
When does the Top 14 season run?
September to late June. The regular season runs 26 rounds, with semi-finals in May and the final in late June at the Stade de France.
Which Top 14 ground is worth visiting?
That depends what you're after. Toulouse is the obvious answer for the combination of club history and city. La Rochelle is the one customers mention most for the matchday atmosphere relative to the size of the ground. Bordeaux is the easiest to build a short break around. All three work.
Are Top 14 matches suitable if you don't know much about rugby?
Yes. The pace and physicality of the game is easy to follow without background knowledge, and French crowds make the atmosphere accessible regardless of what's happening on the pitch. Most people we've spoken to who went to their first Top 14 match as a neutral came away wanting to go back.