Fan rankings are very popular in Brazil, but in France, like many other European countries, they are not given much importance and, therefore, are not done frequently. There is, however, recent research that allows us to identify French clubs with the most fans.
A survey carried out in France by the “Odoxa” institute, released in May 2025, points to Paris St-Germain as the biggest fan base in France. The result shows the effect of large investments in PSG since 2011, when the club was acquired by the Qatari investment fund.
French clubs with the biggest fans
- Paris Saint-Germain – 14%
- Olympic of Marseille -11%
- Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) -10%
- AS Saint-Etienne – 10%
- AS Monaco -10%
- LOSC Lille -8%
- RC Lens – 6%
- FC Nantes – 6%
- Stade Rennais -6%
- Toulouse FC -5%
- Stade Brestois -4%
- RC Strasbourg -4%
- AJ Auxerre -3%
- Stade de Reims – 3%
- Angers SCO – 3%
- Montpellier HSC -2%
- Le Havre AC -1%
- OGC Nice -1%
- Didn’t respond/don’t support – 29%
PSG growth
Paris Saint-Germain’s leap in popularity is evident when analyzing old surveys. A 2006 survey by the Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques (Insee), showed a very different result: 1. Olympique de Marseille – 10.2 million (16%)\ 2. Lyon – 9.6 million (15%)\ 3. Paris Saint-Germain – 3.2 million (5%)\.
MORE: PSG: greatest players and scorers in history
Fan rankings are not of great importance in France
In France, fan rankings do not occupy the same space as in Brazil in the sporting debate. Although there are surveys on the popularity of clubs, they are sporadic and usually linked to audience studies, sociological analyzes or market surveys, without the logic of annual updates or permanent disputes between rivals.
The French press prefers to approach the topic in a contextual way, using concepts such as popularity, base de supporters and media reach, while the symbolic weight falls more on sporting performance, European trajectory and economic relevance. Unlike the Brazilian scenario, in which the size of the crowd is treated as a central asset of identity and power, in France the relationship with clubs is more regionalized and the main pole of collective identification continues to be the national team.
