Ligue 1
Angers
Auxerre
BrestRacing Club de Lens (French pronunciation: [ʁasiŋ klœb də lɑ̃s]), commonly referred to as RC Lens or simply as Lens, is a French professional football club based in the northern city of Lens in the department of Pas-de-Calais. The club's nickname, Les Sang et Or (transl.
The Blood and Gold), comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. As of the 2026–27 season, Lens competes in Ligue 1, the highest tier of French football.
Lens won the Division 1 (now Ligue 1) title in the 1997–98 season, and has finished as runner-up on five occasions, most recently in the 2025–26 season. Lens also finished as runner-up three times in Coupe de France before securing their maiden cup in 2026. Lens won the Trophée des Champions for the first time in 2026, having finished as runner-up in 1998. The club has a strong rivalry with neighbors Lille OSC, with whom they contest the Derby du Nord.
Origin of the club
The origins of the club are not clearly documented, although most sources suggest that the club was established in 1906 under the name "Racing Club lensois". The name was chosen as a reference to Racing Club de Roubaix and Racing Club de France, both popular clubs at the time. The current name, "Racing Club de Lens", dates back to 1969.
The club originally played in green and black to represent the founding location; they wore green to represent the name of the home pitch, "Verte" (meaning 'green' in French), and black to represent the omnipresence of the coal mining industry in the surrounding area.
Between 1907 and 1912, the players were forced to change home grounds twice before settling at the Parc des Glissoires, situated between Avion and Lens.
During World War I, in common with all French sports clubs, the team's activities were stopped and did not restart until 1919. By this time, Lens had changed their playing colours to sky blue.