Stars, licensees, awards, influence… Which city is the most sporty, Toulouse or Montpellier ?

Toulouse-Montpellier, a duel whose resonance, all sports combined, has grown since the magnificence of the Olympic Games, which carried the colours of Occitanie high. The opportunity for the two cities to compete on different grounds, before a weekend of duels between neighbours, between Stade Toulousain and MHR on Saturday (2pm), and TFC against MHSC on Sunday (5.15pm).

The file

In the competition to see who can pee the furthest, Toulouse and Montpellier, 250 kilometres apart, continue to compete to win the honorary title of the most sporting city. Each in its own style, reflecting its own political will and sociology, which give the two locomotives of Occitania a complementary and non-competitive identity, in the wake of the Paris Games marked with the seal of excellence. A question of emphasis, even if the prefecture of Haute-Garonne seems structurally more solid and competitive, like the health of its professional clubs.

International renown, “bankable” values

&In the “Pink City” of Mayor Jean-Luc Moundenc, the pompom of the stars, an unparalleled rugbymania and collective results with the wind in their sails.

&In the “Gifted” of his counterpart Michaë Delafosse, the bet on the ’event, the organization of major international competitions, the breath of youth. &In On arrival, a (very) big winner: the Region, which, through sport, has gained a reputation that crosses borders.

This is the America of swimmer Leon Marchand (where he trains)! It is the Chinese market that is opening up to Lebrun table tennis players! Gargled by its new emperors of their discipline, Occitania, which would like another four years, is assuredly surfing on a virtuous wave, carried by the “bankable” values ​​of sport.

This weekend, however, it will be war. An enticing Stade Toulousain-MHR Saturday for the boys and girls, followed by an explosive TFC-MHSC Sunday, three matches where the Montpellier team will start as anything but favourites and, for some, will play for their skin. Leadership at stake, suspense guaranteed. Cock-a-doodle-doo for “Montpelouse”!

Major events: advantage Montpellier

In terms of sporting events, Montpellier still has a big head start. The Sud de France Arena, the second largest multi-purpose hall in France, opened in September 2010 (10,700 seats in sports configuration), has enabled the organization of national and even international events.

The French basketball team of Tony Parker and then Rudy Gobert came to dunk a couple of times on the Hérault court, the last time in July 2024, just before the Olympic Games.
The Open Occitanie tennis tournament, the French judo championships and Teddy Riner, the European volleyball championships in 2019, the French handball team, the WTT Champions tournament with the Lebrun brothers and the best players on the planet ping… The Hérault arena is a reference in France.

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Jeanjean and BMX as a star at the FISE every year. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

The Antigone Olympic swimming pool regularly hosts the French swimming championships. Next June, Léon Marchand, Florent Manaudou and the best swimmers in the country will meet in the Hérault city.

Another major sporting event, the FISE and its 300,000 annual spectators.
On the other hand, Toulouse can puff out its chest with its Stadium, hosting international football and rugby matches in recent years.

It should be noted that next July, Toulouse and Montpellier will be stopover cities on the Tour de France.

The licensees, 92,000 vs 52,000: advantage Toulouse

The gross figure is obviously higher for Toulouse. But when it comes to population, the two cities are neck and neck.

The Pink City has 92,000 sports licensees out of 504,000 inhabitants, or 18% of its population.
For Montpellier, it's 52,000 licensees out of 302,000 inhabitants, or 17%.

The titles, 65 vs 36: advantage Montpellier

65 titles for Montpellier, 36 for Toulouse. These figures include the trophies won by the men's and women's teams of each city in the five major sports: football, rugby, handball, basketball and volleyball.

If the current dynamic is largely in favor of the Pink City, notably via a Stade Toulousain above the rest on the continent and a Téfécé winner of the Coupe de France in 2023, history speaks for the Hérault city. If rugby is the locomotive of Toulouse, handball is the spearhead of Montpellier.

Football : 7 vs 6

MHSC (M): 1x French champion, 1 French Cup.
MHSC (F): 2x French champion, 3 French Cups.
TFC (M): 1 French Cup.
TFC (F) : 4x champion de France, 1 Coupe de France.

Rugby à XV : 14 vs 30

MHR (H) : 1 Top 14, 2 Challenge.
MHR (F) : 10 Elite 1, 1 Coupe d’Europe.
Stade Toulousain (H) : 23 Top 14, 6 Coupe d’Europe.
Stade Toulousain (F) : 1 Elite 1.

Handball : 29 vs 1

MHB (M): 14x French champion, 2 European Cups, 13 French Cups.
Fénix Toulouse (M) : 1 French Cup.

Basketball : 7 vs 0

BLMA : 2x French champion, 5 French Cups.

Volleyball : 8 vs 0

MHSC-VB : 8x French champion

The stars, Marchand and Dupont crush everything: advantage Toulouse

On this point, Toulouse's advantage is considerable. It is based on two names: Léon Marchand and Antoine Dupont. Locomotives of their sport in France and around the world, the swimmer and the rugby player devour everything in their path. Five medals at the Olympic Games, including four golds, for Marchand, the Olympic title in rugby sevens for Dupont, voted best player in the world in the discipline as in XV…

Léon Marchand, the star of the Paris Olympic Games with four titles. MAXPPP – Sebastien Botella

Opposite, Montpellier opposes the dazzling fame of the Lebrun brothers. In a couple of years, the brothers have propelled table tennis into media spheres never before reached. “Féfé” double bronze medalist in Paris, Alexis, bronzed by team, also benefit from a crazy celebrity in Asia, where Dupont and Marchand cannot compete.

To these headliners, the two cities add other “stars”: the boxer Sofiane Oumiha, the tennis player Hugo Gaston, the table tennis player Simon Gauzy or the TFC goalkeeper Guillaume Restes for the Ville Rose; decathlete Kevin Mayer, volleyball player Nicolas Le Goff, mountain biker Victor Koretzky, tennis player Arthur Cazaux or MHSC midfielder Joris Chotard for Montpellier.