Derby Breton
The Derby de la Bretagne, also known as the Derby Breton, is a football match in France. The match can potentially designate any match two clubs based in the historic province of Brittany; however, most of the time, it is employed by each club's supporters to mention the rivalry between major clubs Stade Rennais and FC Nantes, even if this particular fixture is often referred to as the West Derby.
History
The term is derived from its location in the former province of Brittany, and in addition to the principal rivalry between the two major clubs, Stade Rennais and FC Nantes, may also refer to matches involving FC Lorient, En Avant Guingamp or Stade Brestois. These five clubs are each the most successful in the five departments of historic Brittany. As such, matches between them are a matter of regional pride and interest rather than a traditional 'local derby' of very close geographic proximity, the five localities being an average of around apart– the greatest distance is between Brest and Nantes, approximately.Rennes and Nantes first met in the 1949–50 Coupe de France, Rennes winning on that occasion. Following their match in October 2023 the fixture has been played 104 times in official competitions, with Nantes ahead with 44 wins to Rennes's 35, and 25 draws. A historic rivalry also exists between the cities over which is the "real capital of Brittany" and both clubs display their Breton heritage proudly; Rennes supporters regularly display Celtic symbols at Tribune Mordelles, where the notorious supporters' group Roazhon Celtic Kop are located, while Nantes often display the Bretagne flag in their primary colors, yellow and green.
Lorient's elevated status in the derby came about from their promotion to Ligue 1 at the turn of the 21st century.
There was heightened interest in Breton clubs following the 2–1 victory by lower-division Guingamp over Rennes in the 2009 Coupe de France final; this was the first final since 1956 where both participating clubs were based in the same region and both clubs displayed their Breton culture proudly. The pair met again in the 2014 Coupe de France final, won by Guingamp again. Owing to the attention generated by these finals, matches between these two clubs specifically were referred to as Le Celtico at times. Although they had since played in the league several times, the first cup match between the clubs since the 2014 final took place in January 2024.
At least one club from historic Brittany has taken part in the French top flight in every season since 1958–59. Since 1983–84, there have been 18 seasons featuring three Breton teams; an additional eight top division seasons have involved four – 2023–24 Ligue 1 is the 9th. Owing to the somewhat 'yo-yo' status of all the clubs apart from Rennes since the 2000s, there has yet to be a Ligue 1 campaign featuring all five.