The competition promises more drama and surprises this week, along with numerous opportunities for savvy bettors.
The early stages of the Coupe de France set the stage for surprising results, with top teams often losing to sides from lower divisions.
Odds courtesy of 1xBet. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Frequent Giant-Killings
The Coupe de France is synonymous with giant-killings, and incredible stories have unfolded over the years. One such example is the incredible run of Les Herbiers VF, a third-division French team, in 2018.
Despite a poor league campaign that led to their relegation to National 2, Les Herbiers VF managed to knock out clubs like Lens and Auxerre on their way to the final against PSG.
In 2022, Versailles, a team from the fourth division, defeated Bergerac Périgord, another team from the same division, to reach the quarter-finals. Bergerac Périgord’s journey was remarkable as they had previously knocked out top-division teams Metz and Saint-Étienne.
But what makes the Coupe de France so prone to these upsets?
One theory is that the gap in quality between professional and amateur clubs in France is relatively small. Only the top two divisions, comprising 36 teams in total, are fully professional. This means that amateur sides across the country often feature top-class graduates from France’s youth academies.
The primary factor, however, is the competition’s structure, which is designed to give underdogs a fair shot. When teams from different divisions, with a gap of two or more tiers, are matched, the lower-ranked team automatically gets home advantage.
This reduces the likelihood of a Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 team overpowering amateur opponents, thereby making the competition very unpredictable. Over the past 20 seasons, 57 quarter-finalists (35% of the total) have emerged from Ligue 2 or lower divisions.
Excluding Paris Saint-Germain, who have claimed the trophy nine times in the past 20 years, none of the remaining 11 champions have managed to win the cup twice. Indeed, nine teams from outside France’s top tier have featured in the last 25 Coupe de France finals, with four different clubs lifting the trophy in the past six campaigns.
Top sides Face Shock Exits
The previous round, played at the end of December, already delivered some surprising results.
Ligue 1 side Auxerre were defeated 1-0 at home by Ligue 2 club Dunkerque, who are currently third in the table after finishing 16th in the 2023/24 season.
Meanwhile, Montpellier and Le Havre, the bottom two teams in Ligue 1, were also eliminated by lower-league opponents.
Le Puy Foot stunned Montpellier with a 4-0 victory, defying odds of 6.33, while Briochin, also from the fourth tier, eked out a 1-0 win.
Perhaps the biggest surprises came in matches that finished in draws and were decided by penalties.
Ligue 1’s Nice needed spot-kicks to see off fifth-tier Corte, with pre-match odds of a draw standing at 14.43. Toulouse, who won the competition just two seasons ago, also relied on penalties to eliminate fifth-tier side Hauts Lyonnais.
Ligue 1 clubs Toulouse and Reims were both eliminated in the Round of 32 last season by lower-division sides Rouen and Sochaux, respectively.
How to Back the Underdogs This Week
Newly promoted Ligue 1 side Angers travel to face Quevilly-Rouen, a Championnat National team relegated from Ligue 2 last season.
The hosts have lost just one of their last 10 games, and they had previously knocked out Paris FC on penalties.
When these two sides met in Ligue 2 last season, Angers won both encounters by a single goal—1-0 and 3-2, the latter thanks to a stoppage-time strike.
Therefore, backing Quevilly-Rouen with a double chance or an Asian Handicap +0.75 might be a smart move.
Bourgoin-Jallieu and Espaly from the fifth division offer the highest odds for defeating Ligue 1 giants Lyon and reigning champions PSG, at 40.00 and 67.00, respectively.
However, Bourgoin-Jallieu had previously dispatched Ligue 2 side Martigues with a 4-1 win on home soil, raising the possibility of another upset. This is particularly possible considering Lyon’s off-the-field financial issues and potential player sales in January.
Betting on Both Teams To Score – Yes could more than double your stake.
Lastly, Bastia offer value for scoring at least once against Nice, who have conceded in each of their last 11 games.
Bastia have reached the Round of 32 three times in their last four attempts, making it to the quarter-finals in 2021/22 before falling to Nantes.
Benoit Tavenot’s team have been prolific. They notched eight goals in two games to close out last year and have already netted six in 2025. Backing Over 2.5 Goals at the Stade Armand Cesari could be a savvy choice.