Bordeaux approved for sixth-tier season as new owners await debt-plan hearing

Bordeaux will play this season in the sixth tier of French football after receiving approval for their participation in Regional 1, according to an AFP report carried by The Guardian on Saturday. The decision gives the six-time French champions a confirmed competition for the campaign following financial sanctions imposed during the summer.

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The club's difficulties stem from a failure to provide roughly €10 million needed for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years, as well as to meet debt payments, the report said. Bordeaux, once among the leading names in French football, were sanctioned over those financial irregularities.

The approval followed an appearance before the oversight commission of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine league. That body accepted Bordeaux's recovery budget and supported their possible entry into Regional 1. Two days after that meeting, their participation was approved unanimously. The league decision establishes where the team can compete, while a separate step in the financial recovery process remains ahead.

Bordeaux were sold last month to the US-based investment group Park Bench for a symbolic price of one euro. The buyers agreed to assume the remaining debt, according to the report. That commitment accompanies the change of ownership, with the new group now responsible for taking the club's proposed continuation arrangements through the next stage.

The owners are due to appear in commercial court on October 20 to seek ratification of a new continuation plan. The arrangements described in the report would run over 12 years, with debt reduced from €26 million to €13 million. The court date is still forthcoming; the report does not establish that the revised plan has already received judicial approval.

On the pitch, Bordeaux will operate with a largely amateur team. They are permitted five players on professional contracts, and former Ligue 1 striker Baptiste Guillaume is set to take one of those places. That limited professional contingent will form part of the squad competing in Regional 1 as the new ownership pursues the club's financial restructuring.