Stade du Parc Lescure
Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France
Stade du Parc Lescure, Bordeaux, France — opened 30 March 1924, as Parc des Sports (a cycle-racing track); rebuilt and reopened 12 June 1938 for the FIFA World Cup as Parc Lescure, 13 rugby league games hosted, home of Bordeaux (French rugby league), one of the ten founding clubs of Jeu à XIII in 1934, league runners-up in 1936, champions in 1937 and again in 1954.
Sourcing caveat: A secondary source claims Bordeaux hosted a 1954 Rugby League World Cup group match (Great Britain 26-6 New Zealand); this is not corroborated by this site's own records for the venue (which end in 1950) or by a direct check of the tournament's own Wikipedia article, which confirms Bordeaux was one of six host venues but does not state which specific match was played there. This claim is therefore presented as unconfirmed rather than included as fact.
Ground facts
| Opened | 30 March 1924, as Parc des Sports (a cycle-racing track); rebuilt and reopened 12 June 1938 for the FIFA World Cup as Parc Lescure (Renamed Stade Chaban-Delmas in 2001, in honour of Bordeaux's long-serving mayor Jacques Chaban-Delmas (1947-1995); 'Stade du Parc Lescure' was the name it held throughout its rugby league era.) |
| Home club | Bordeaux (French rugby league), one of the ten founding clubs of Jeu à XIII in 1934, league runners-up in 1936, champions in 1937 and again in 1954 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 13 |
| Top recorded crowd | 27,000 |
| Capacity | 25,000 (1938); current capacity 34,462 after 1998 World Cup-era upgrades |
| Test matches hosted | 10 |
| Surface | Grass, 120m x 73m |
| First rugby league match | 1 Jan 1935, France 18-11 Wales (European Championship), attendance 15,000 |
| Years used | 1935–1950 |
| Location | Bordeaux, Aquitaine |
Name history
- Parc des Sports — 1924-1938
- Parc Lescure / Stade du Parc Lescure — 1938-2001
- Stade Chaban-Delmas — 2001-present
Rugby league history
One of French rugby league's founding clubs' home grounds and, more significantly, a major venue for the France national team's postwar internationals against Wales, England, New Zealand, Australia and touring representative sides between 1935 and 1950, plus three earlier tour matches against a touring English League side (1937-38). Bordeaux's professional rugby league presence declined through the 1950s-70s alongside the sport's broader postwar contraction in France, and the club dropped out of the top tier in 1975.
A major multi-purpose stadium, now Stade Chaban-Delmas, home to Union Bordeaux Bègles (rugby union) since 2011 and formerly FC Girondins de Bordeaux (football, 1938-2015).
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 1 Jan 1935 — France 18-11 Wales (European Championship), 15,000
- 24 Mar 1946 — France 19-7 Wales, 25,000
- 8 Dec 1946 — France 0-3 England, 24,100
- 23 Nov 1947 — France 29-21 Wales, 27,000
- 25 Jan 1948 — France 25-7 New Zealand, 22,000
- 28 Nov 1948 — France 5-12 England, 26,000
- 23 Jan 1949 — France 0-10 Australia, 17,365
- 26 May 1949 — France 23-10 British Empire (touring side)
- 4 Dec 1949 — France 5-13 England, 20,598
- 10 Dec 1950 — France 16-3 Other Nationalities, 27,000
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World Cup Table, 11 Oct 1975 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup | France 2-48 England |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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