Stade Auguste Bonal

Sochaux's ground carries the name of a man the club lost rather than one it hired to lead it. Auguste Bonal directed the club and died in a concentration camp; the stadium took his name in July 1945, replacing the original Stade de la Forge that had opened here in November 1931 with a single wooden stand holding a thousand people.

Growth came in stages rather than one push. By 1935 the ground already held close to ten thousand, and a further rebuild followed in 1973. The defining change arrived between 1997 and 2000, when the running track disappeared, every stand gained full cover, and capacity rose from seven thousand to twenty thousand. The reopening came with the 2000 Trophée des Champions — it stayed outside the Euro 2016 host list and has never taken a World Cup or European Championship match.

The best-attended night here goes back further than the rebuild: 16 May 1976, when Sochaux drew 1-1 with Saint-Étienne in front of a crowd that still stands as the record. The pitch itself was relaid with hybrid turf in 2021 and runs on undersoil heating.

Ownership changed hands more recently, and with it came a different kind of work: since the fans took control of the club, supporters themselves have been the ones doing the upkeep around the ground through 2025 and into 2026.