L'Équipe

On February 28, 1946, Jacques Goddet launched L'Équipe to replace L'Auto after the liberation of France. The original paper had been founded in 1900 by conservative industrialists who wanted to counter Le Vélo and promote auto racing alongside cycling. Goddet's new publication emerged from the post-war purge of collaborators and quickly became the primary source for athletic news across the country.

Today the brand operates as a multi-platform powerhouse under Éditions Philippe Amaury, a division of Groupe Amaury. Its portfolio includes a daily print newspaper, the digital hub lequipe.fr, and La Chaîne L'Équipe, a free-to-air television network formerly known as L'Équipe 21. The organization also manages specialized magazines like France Football and Vélo Magazine, maintaining a monopoly on high-prestige reporting for events like the Tour de France.

The company's influence extends beyond simple reporting through its famous player rating system where journalists score athletes out of 10. This tradition has shaped careers and transfer markets for decades, with ratings capable of launching legends or ending prospects. Recent developments include a June 2026 partnership with Disney+ to share live sports programming and continued coverage of major transfer stories involving players like Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise. [edit]