On 23 September 1944 two historic clubs of the city joined forces and Lille was born. On 23 September 2027 the club turns 83 years old, and it celebrates as one of the steady powers of Ligue 1. Let's see how two rivals became one shirt.

Two rivals, one team

Lille was born from the merger of Olympique Lillois and SC Fives, two former professional clubs of the city. The deal was signed by three representatives from each side, among them the presidents Pierre Delfortrie and Louis Henno.

The new team was first called Stade Lillois. A few weeks later it took the name Lille Olympique Sporting Club, under which it was officially registered on 25 November 1944.

A compromise name

The name is a clever split. "Lille Olympique" honours Olympique Lillois and "Sporting Club" honours Fives, while the abbreviation Lille OSC gave birth to the familiar LOSC.

The same goes for the colours. Red and white come from the city's coat of arms and from Olympique, while blue was added as a tribute to Fives.

From the white shirt to red

The first shirts were mainly white, with a red V-shaped design on the chest, and were paired with blue shorts and socks. Since 1999 and the deal with Nike, the home kit has been mainly red and the away kit white.

In 2016-17 Lille wore white at home again, to mark 70 years since the 1946 double. In Europe the club often has a third shirt in black and yellow, the colours of Flanders.

Les Dogues and the fleur-de-lys crest

The nickname "Les Dogues", the mastiffs, is older than the club itself. It was used for Olympique Lillois players and appeared in the press as early as 1919. French sources give two versions of its origin: a journalist's remark about the team's fighting spirit, or a toy dog that became a lucky charm.

The first crest of 1946 featured the city's arms, a silver fleur-de-lys on a red field, while the mastiff joined the crest in 1981. Today's pentagonal crest from 2018 recalls the city's historic fortress, the Citadelle.

Four titles and a big home

The start was explosive: in 1946 Lille won the double, with René Bihel top-scoring with 28 goals, and the 1954 title followed. Jean Baratte also shone in that golden era.

A second double came in 2011, with a young Eden Hazard in a starring role, and in 2021 another title with Mike Maignan, José Fonte and Burak Yılmaz. Since 2012 the team has played at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, after spells at Henri-Jooris and Grimonprez-Jooris.

In that same year of 2021 Lille also lifted its first French Super Cup, beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Tel Aviv. A trophy that crowned a dream season for the North.

In 2025-26 Lille finished third in Ligue 1 and returns to the Champions League. Since June 2026 the coach has been Davide Ancelotti.

Celebrate with us

Eighty-three years after a deal between two rivals, the mastiffs of the North still have bite. Happy birthday, Lille, with red, white and blue always together!

Pick your own Dogues shirt and celebrate with us.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Stade Pierre-Mauroy during Lille v Paris Saint-Germain, 2019 – Liondartois, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.