Bordeaux face Marseille's reserve team in friendly: a symbol of dramatic decline

Bordeaux will play a friendly against Olympique de Marseille’s reserve team during their summer preparation for the 2026-2027 season. The announcement, made by Bordeaux themselves, immediately sparked strong reactions within the supporter community.

FCGB will resume training on July 8 to prepare for a season in National 1, France’s fourth division since the creation of Ligue 3. Six friendlies are scheduled, including a training camp in Hagetmau from July 21-25, against opponents such as Tarbes, Angoulême, Bayonne, Arcachon and Chauray. Yet it is the presence of Marseille — via its reserve team, which will compete in National 2 (fifth division) — that has captured all the attention.

The last meeting between the two senior teams dates back to January 2022, when Marseille won in Bordeaux, their first victory on Girondins soil in nearly 45 years. That the two clubs now find themselves in a context so far removed from their respective glory days — at least for Bordeaux — has not escaped observers.

Journalist Samuel Vaslin’s reaction on X sums up the sentiment of part of the Bordeaux fanbase: “I think this is the most humiliating thing we will have experienced in our entire lives as Bordeaux supporters. Just the fact of playing this match sends us back to the horrible small club we’ve become.” A harsh assessment, but one that reflects the scale of disillusionment surrounding a club that won six French league titles and reached a UEFA Cup final.

Last season, Bordeaux finished behind La Roche-sur-Yon in National 1, missing out on promotion. The club continues to rebuild after several years of sporting and financial turmoil that plunged it into the lower divisions. Facing Marseille’s reserve team in a friendly illustrates, more than any result, the distance that now separates Bordeaux from its European past.