The French Rugby Federation has unveiled how the 96 clubs of Fédérale 2 will be split for the 2026-27 season, in eight pools of twelve. True to form, the FFR has favoured geographical proximity, promising plenty of derbies and limited travel, in a season that comes just before the announced reform of the federal leagues.

A tour of the eight pools

Pool 1. A very Paris-region pool, with Antony Métro, Gennevilliers, Clichy, Paris 15, Vincennes and SCUF.

Pool 2. Heading for Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy and the east, with Villefranche-sur-Saône, Rillieux, Saint-Priest and Nantua among others.

Pool 3. The south-east takes centre stage, between clubs from Provence, the Gard and the Alps: Saint-Raphaël Fréjus, Les Angles, Voiron and Montélimar.

Pool 4. An entirely Occitan pool, bringing together clubs from the Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales, such as Castelsarrasin and Prades. One to watch: Corbières XV, the ambitious promoted side reportedly on Christian Labit’s radar.

Pools 5 and 6. The Grand Sud-Ouest in force, with a strong presence of clubs from the Landes, the Basque Country, Béarn, the Gers and the Gironde (Oursbelille Bordères, Lormont, Casteljaloux…).

Pool 7. A Massif Central and south-west mix, with Bergerac as the standard-bearer and regional derbies aplenty.

Pool 8. The Paris region dominates, alongside sides from the north, Normandy and Brittany, including Maisons-Laffitte Saint-Germain Poissy.