RC Lens Advances to Coupe de France Final as Baidoo Secures Spot in Historic Clash Against Toulouse

RC Lens secured their place in the Coupe de France final with a 4-1 victory over Toulouse FC at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on April 21, 2026. The win marks the club’s first appearance in the final since the 1997-98 season and sets up a historic opportunity to win their first-ever Coupe de France title.

Florian Thauvin opened the scoring for Lens in the 9th minute, converting a penalty kick after Pape Demba Diop was judged to have fouled him inside the Toulouse penalty area. Thauvin then provided the assist for Allan Saint-Maximin’s goal in the 18th minute, which doubled Lens’s lead before halftime.

Despite a goal from Santiago Hidalgo for Toulouse in the 21st minute, Lens maintained control and extended their advantage before the break. Matthieu Udol scored Lens’s third goal in first-half stoppage time, tapping home a precise delivery from Saud Abdulhamid inside the six-yard box to make it 3-1 at halftime.

In the second half, Adrien Thomasson added Lens’s fourth goal to seal the victory. The result completed a remarkable turnaround for Lens, who had come from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Toulouse in Ligue 1 just four days earlier at the same venue.

Pierre Sage, Lens’s head coach, will now lead the team in his second Coupe de France final in three years, having previously guided Olympique Lyonnais to the Stade de France in 2024. Sage acknowledged the significance of the achievement, noting that Lens had lost three previous finals, the last coming in 1998, and were still seeking their first Coupe de France title in club history.

The victory extended Lens’s impressive home form to 14 wins from their last 15 matches across all competitions. The club will now await the winner of the other semifinal between RC Strasbourg Alsace and OGC Nice, with the final scheduled to take place on May 22, 2026 at the Stade de France.