FC Lorient, officially Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud, is a professional football club from Lorient, Brittany, France. It was founded on April 2, 1926, originally by the Cuissard family as a local team. The club is nicknamed “Les Merlus” (The Hakes), after the fish that is an important symbol in the region.
Lorient played in regional and lower leagues for much of its early history. The club rose to prominence in the 1990s, winning the Championnat National in 1994–95 and earning promotion to Ligue 1 for the first time in the 1998–99 season. Lorient won the Coupe de France in 2001–02, defeating Bastia 1–0 in the final. The club is also known for developing talented players, including Yoann Gourcuff, Laurent Koscielny, André-Pierre Gignac, and Kevin Gameiro.
The team plays its home matches at Stade du Moustoir, officially Stade Yves Allainmat, which opened in 1959. The stadium has a capacity of around 18,110 and a pitch size of 105 × 70 meters. It has been renovated several times, notably in 1998 and 2010. Lorient’s training facilities, Espace FCL, are located in Ploemeur and include multiple pitches, administrative offices, and youth accommodation.
