Four days of anticipation culminated in official confirmation: Le Mans FC has been promoted to Ligue 1 football. The team from Sarthe secured second place in the 2025-2026 Ligue 2 championship following their pivotal 2-0 away win against Bastia on Saturday, May 9th. The Professional Football League’s disciplinary committee upheld this score on Wednesday, May 13th, a decision that followed the club president’s joyous announcement to an estimated 24,000 jubilant fans gathered at the Stade Marie Marvingt to celebrate the team’s achievement.

The outcome of the match, which held the key to their season’s fate, was in suspense since Saturday evening. Referee Ruddy Buquet halted play after Le Mans scored their second goal during injury time, due to flares being thrown onto the pitch. An hour later, he declared that the game would not resume, but a final whistle was never officially blown.

Under these specific circumstances, the disciplinary committee held the authority to determine the match’s official result and impose penalties on the Corsican club, whose supporters’ actions led to the game’s interruption. Consequently, Sporting Club de Bastia received a sanction of two immediate closed-door matches and one suspended closed-door match at their Stade Armand-Cesari.