26 hours in the air for 90 minutes on the field. A unique match will take place in the French Cup.

We all love to travel, explore, and immerse ourselves in the culture of other countries and peoples. But we have yet to cover 10,000 kilometers. However, French football players are about to have such a unique opportunity.

The real lucky ones are the players of a fifth-division team. The footballers of Thionville will have to fly more than 33,400 kilometers. And no, it's not an international game. Just a regular match in the 1/128 finals of the French Cup. Is the European country really that large? No, the secret lies elsewhere.

Since 1961, teams not located in France have been included in the French Cup's participants. Thionville's opponent is Hienghène Sport. This team is based in New Caledonia, a French territory in the Pacific Ocean east of Australia. France and New Caledonia are separated by 16,300 km.

The footballers will get to the game in just over a day. The fastest option, a flight with two layovers, can take 26 hours. In the end, the round trip will take more than two days. If the fifth-division team from France manages to reach the opponent and the match takes place, this journey to the football meeting will be the longest in national cup history, that's for sure.

Published by Patrick Jane
16.11.2023