CR Liceo Francés
CR Liceo Francés is a Madrid-based rugby union club founded in 1968. They play at the Ramón Urtubi Stadium (capacity 300) and are coached by Fernando Díez with Javier Goitia as chairman. In 2023–24 they competed in División de Honor B – Group Élite, finishing 4th.
Rugby began at the Lycée Français de Madrid, where the club has its roots. It became an independent club on 15 July 1972 and has strong ties to the school. The Ramón Urtubi Stadium was built in 1978 on the school grounds. The club climbed through the Spanish leagues, debuting in the Second Division in 1974–75 and reaching the División de Honor in 1980–81 after the top tier expanded. They won the Primera Nacional in 1988–89 and reached the Copa del Rey final that season.
The 1990s were a golden era: the team was league runner-up twice (1990–91, 1992–93), Copa del Rey runner-up in 2001, and FER Cup winner in 1996. They later moved between the top two divisions and were relegated to the third tier in 2004. In 2024–25, after 18 years away from the top flight, they earned promotion back by defeating Gernika RT 32–29 in the playoff final.
Women’s rugby at Liceo Francés has also been successful, winning the Copa de la Reina in 1999 and 2000. The club is famous for its youth program, with national titles across many age groups and the Iberian Cup in 1992. Today it runs around twenty teams and has produced many players who play internationally; actors Javier Bardem and Sergio Peris-Mencheta are among its notable alumni.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:15 (CET).