Bordeaux rugby: Chaban-Delmas

Before you travel

Confirmed · UBB Rugby: Comment venir au stade en jour de match · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Stades · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Profitez de nos nouveaux Parks à vélo avec Wheelskeep ! · UBB Rugby: Public PSH/PMR · UBB Rugby: Jour de match · Checked on 14 October 2026.

Chaban-Delmas: rugby within an Art Deco landmark

Chaban-Delmas is Union Bordeaux Bègles’ resident stadium at place Johnston, 33000 Bordeaux. UBB gives its capacity as 32,930. The ground combines the club’s regular home rugby programme with the distinctive arcades, monumental entrance and long players’ tunnel inherited from its earlier life as Parc Lescure.

The first Parc Lescure opened in 1924 with a rugby derby between CA Béglais and Stade Bordelais, the two clubs whose senior teams later combined to create UBB. The 2024 centenary therefore returned to a rugby beginning, even though the celebration match honoured the ground’s long association with Girondins football.

The present architectural scheme followed a project begun by mayor Adrien Marquet in 1933 and was inaugurated in 1938. Raoul Jourde began the work before Jacques d’Welles took over. Engineer Egidio Dabbeni contributed the concrete canopy around the stadium, a defining structural feature in the Ministry of Culture’s account.

The Ministry of Culture distinguishes Jourde’s spare modernism, particularly around the paddock, from d’Welles’s more classical architectural language at the north-east entrance and associated sports buildings. The site received historic-monument protection on 24 October 2022. Its sporting function and architectural interest are therefore formally recognised together.

UBB was formed in 2006 through the combination of the first teams of Stade Bordelais and CABBG. Between them, those predecessor clubs held nine French championships. The Union Bordeaux Bègles name followed in 2008, and promotion to the Top 14 came in 2011, establishing the modern club whose colours now fill Chaban.

Confirmed · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Stades · UBB Rugby: Belle communion à Chaban pour le match des 100 ans du Parc Lescure · French Ministry of Culture: Ministry of Culture monument record · UBB Rugby: Notre histoire · Checked on 14 October 2026.

The Roman arrival and Bordeaux’s supporters

The team bus arrives at place Johnston around an hour and forty-five minutes before kick-off. Players and staff walk the remaining approach through a supporters’ guard of honour, known as the arrival à la romaine. Mascots Léo and Léa join this gathering, making the square part of the pre-match ritual.

The club recognises UBB Angels, Les Burdigalais, UBB Fanes and Les Ovaliens among its supporters’ groups. Les Burdigalais are described as the historic supporters’ club, while UBB Fanes is linked to the Allez Union forum. These named groups organise around home matches, away journeys and events beyond the fixture itself.

The club reports that every Chaban match in 2024/25 sold out, with 32,215 supporters per game in that season’s configuration. That historical attendance figure differs from the 32,930 capacity now published on the same stadium page. The distinction captures both the strength of demand and the changing usable seating total.

UBB launched its student stand in December 2023 for the Bristol Bears match, locating it in the north end at staircase 26. The launch brought together student ambassadors from Bordeaux schools and universities. It is a dated example of the club giving a particular audience its own place and programme within the ground.

The Parc Lescure centenary brought football legends back onto the pitch in May 2024, with the stadium sold out for the occasion. UBB’s account explicitly honoured the Girondins’ contribution to the venue’s history. For a rugby visitor, that shared inheritance helps explain why the Lescure name remains so closely associated with Chaban.

Our pick (opinion): We would arrive for the à la romaine at place Johnston; watching the players walk through the supporters adds a distinctly Bordeaux opening to the match.

Confirmed · UBB Rugby: Jour de match · UBB Rugby: Tous au stade - Clubs supporters · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Stades · UBB Rugby: Lancement de la tribune étudiante à Chaban · UBB Rugby: Belle communion à Chaban pour le match des 100 ans du Parc Lescure · Checked on 14 October 2026.

Trams A and F, direct buses and cycling

UBB’s transport information, updated in October 2026, lists trams A and F to Stade Chaban Delmas. The tram stop carries the stadium name, making it the clearest rail-based arrival point in the club’s directions. This is the Chaban journey; UBB’s occasional matches at Stade Atlantique use another stadium and another transport approach.

The same club directions list buses 1, 9 and H2 at Stade Chaban Delmas, buses 8, 20, 73 and 80 at Carreire, bus 55 at Hôpital Pellegrin’s east entrance, and bus 24 at Campeyraut. These named alternatives spread arrivals around the streets surrounding the ground instead of relying exclusively on the tram stop.

For visitors arriving by intercity rail, UBB’s stadium page directs passengers from Gare Saint-Jean onto bus 9. Drivers are directed to ring-road exit 12. The club also describes the shortage of parking around Chaban, so the direct public-transport links form a substantial part of its published match-day access arrangements.

Two guarded bicycle parks were introduced for 2026/27 in partnership with Wheelskeep. They are on rue d’Ornano and rue Albert Thomas, are free to use and require no reservation. These supervised facilities give visiting cyclists specific destinations near Chaban instead of leaving the final parking location to chance.

The club lists four nearby LE VÉLO hire stations: Stade Chaban Delmas, Xaintrailles, Hôpital Pellegrin and Bordeaux II. It also identifies ordinary cycle parking around the stadium. Those named hire points complement the guarded bicycle parks and connect the ground with Bordeaux’s wider bicycle network.

TBM publishes separate stadium travel diagrams for Chaban-Delmas and the larger northern Bordeaux venue. Its Chaban diagram identifies the tram approaches and surrounding bus services. The distinction is useful for a Bordeaux rugby weekend because the same UBB team can appear at either ground, while the local transport connections remain venue-specific.

Confirmed · UBB Rugby: Comment venir au stade en jour de match · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Stades · Union Bordeaux Bègles: Profitez de nos nouveaux Parks à vélo avec Wheelskeep ! · TBM: Aller aux stades et complexes sportifs avec TBM · Checked on 14 October 2026.

The Village UBB and local food counters

Village UBB by ALS sits behind the north end, with supporters’ bodegas, food and drink stands, a stage and DJ entertainment. The club’s main stadium shop is near the arch within that village. Altogether it lists seven shops around Chaban, with the main village outlet holding the widest selection of merchandise.

For the August 2026 match against Pau, the club advertised UBB burgers and hot dogs, hot Chistera menus, cold sandwiches and Pick’n’go menus. The named menu ranges show the kind of food sold through Chaban’s own bars and snack outlets, with hot and cold choices within the ground.

The stadium’s sweet-food counters include La Toque Cuivrée, Gaufres La Liègeoise and Pepite Cookie. Contactless bank cards and UBB Tokens are the club’s two published payment methods. Tokens operate specifically at Chaban and are valid for the current season, linking purchases at bars, food counters and shops to the same stadium system.

UBB’s FAQ distinguishes the stadium ticket windows on place Johnston from the internal sales counters. The match-day ticket windows open two hours before kick-off. Food outlets accept bank cards or UBB Tokens, so the payment arrangements inside Chaban differ from simply handing cash to every individual snack seller.

Chaban also functions as a gathering place when UBB’s decisive match is played elsewhere. For the 2026 Champions Cup final, the club, Bordeaux city council and Bordeaux Métropole organised a ticketed fan zone at the stadium. Food trucks supplemented the normal catering for that particular collective viewing event.

Confirmed · UBB Rugby: Jour de match · UBB Rugby: Toutes les infos sur UBB-Pau à Chaban ! · UBB Rugby: Ticket FAQs · UBB Rugby: Billetterie ouverte pour la Fan Zone de Chaban ! · Checked on 14 October 2026.

The canopy, paddock and different seating areas

The protected sporting complex includes the stadium and associated facilities, with specific exclusions for some 1990s buildings and a house used for VIP access. The Ministry records the later removal of the cycling track and expansion of the terraces. Those alterations explain how a multipurpose sports enclosure evolved while retaining its distinctive architectural shell.

The Gironde CAUE architectural observatory places Chaban within the surrounding Art Deco neighbourhood and dates the landmark stadium to 1938. Its architectural interest extends beyond the pitch-facing bowl to the surrounding urban setting. A walk around the exterior therefore reveals part of the venue’s identity before entering the spectator areas.

The club’s 2026/27 spectator information identifies Tribune de Face basse as the area for supporters seeking extra seats close to the wheelchair zone, subject to availability. It also requires an accompanying adult for under-eighteens, with the adult holding valid admission in the same stand. These conditions affect how families and larger accessible groups choose their places.

The north-end student allocation launched at staircase 26 rather than throughout an entire side stand. UBB paired that location with student ambassadors, a DJ and specific activities at the launch.

Our advice (opinion): Give the exterior a little time before entering: Chaban’s architecture and surrounding neighbourhood are part of the attraction, alongside the rugby inside.

Confirmed · French Ministry of Culture: Ministry of Culture monument record · Observatoire de la Curiosité: Stade Chaban-Delmas et son quartier Art Déco - L'Observatoire du CAUE de la Gironde · UBB Rugby: Informations matchs saison 2026/2027 · UBB Rugby: Lancement de la tribune étudiante à Chaban · Checked on 14 October 2026.

Wheelchair booking and CMI admission

Wheelchair users can request a place for themselves and one companion through UBB’s dedicated form, subject to availability. Reservations normally open around two weeks before the game and close at noon on the Wednesday before the match weekend. The club uses this procedure for both Chaban and Stade Atlantique.

The wheelchair arrangement permits one accompanying person, with additional friends or relatives buying ordinary seats separately. UBB’s published spectator guidance directs those extra purchases towards the lower Tribune de Face if places remain. This separates the wheelchair allocation from the task of seating a larger travelling party nearby.

For supporters with a Carte Mobilité Inclusion marked invalidité or priorité, UBB offers a separate reduced-ticket category through its online sales system. The official card must be presented at admission for each match. The club states that this CMI category does not automatically extend a companion discount.

Chaban’s prohibited-object list includes large items such as stools, stepladders, boxes and suitcases, and states that no storage service can be provided for them. This is particularly relevant to rail visitors arriving at Gare Saint-Jean with luggage, because the ground’s published admission policy does not provide a suitcase drop-off facility.

Confirmed · UBB Rugby: Public PSH/PMR · UBB Rugby: Objets Interdits · Checked on 14 October 2026.

The Connemara and rugby addresses in Bordeaux

The Connemara’s own current links place the Irish pub at 18 cours d’Albret in Bordeaux and advertise live music, food and drinks. It is a city stop rather than an outlet inside Chaban. Its official links provide the menu and events separately, allowing the pub visit to sit alongside the stadium part of the weekend.

The government accessibility listing confirms the Connemara address as 18 cours d’Albret, 33000 Bordeaux. Its May 2024 assessment records one upward step at the entrance, no ramp and possible human assistance. Those specific entry details distinguish the pub from a step-free venue and give wheelchair visitors a concrete point to discuss with it.

The rugby league body’s Bordeaux address guide lists Xaintrailles at 114 boulevard Maréchal Leclerc, 33000 Bordeaux, alongside other rugby-weekend bars. It also names Sweeney Todd’s at 2 cours d’Alsace-et-Lorraine and The House of Parliament at 11 rue Parlement Sainte-Catherine. These are separate city addresses rather than stadium concessions.

The club’s history separates its predecessors’ national championships from UBB’s European honours in 2025 and 2026. Stade Bordelais held seven French titles and CABBG two before their senior teams combined. That distinction matters in a city where the modern Union name carries the histories of both Bordeaux and Bègles.

Confirmed · Linktree: The Connemara Irish Pub Official: Instagram, Facebook · Acceslibre: The Connemara Irish Pub Fish An Ships, Café, bar, brasserie, Bordeaux · LNR: Bordeaux addresses · UBB Rugby: Notre histoire · Checked on 14 October 2026.

A memorable European afternoon and stadium visits

On 12 April 2025, UBB beat Munster 47–29 at Chaban in the Champions Cup quarter-final. More than a thousand Irish supporters travelled, according to the club report. Damian Penaud’s opening score was his twelfth try of that European campaign, setting a new single-season mark at the time.

Jon Echegaray scored his first Champions Cup try during the same Munster match, while Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s late try settled the contest. After his two-hundredth club appearance, Cyril Cazeaux announced a contract extension on the field. The afternoon therefore combined a knockout victory with individual milestones celebrated in front of the home crowd.

Can visitors book a regular tour outside match days? UBB’s FAQ says Chaban-Delmas cannot be visited outside match days. The historic exterior remains part of the surrounding Bordeaux streetscape, but the club’s published visitor arrangement does not offer an ordinary public stadium tour to add to a non-match itinerary.

Confirmed · Union Bordeaux Bègles: L'UBB se qualifie en demie de l'Investec Champions Cup · UBB Rugby: Ticket FAQs · Checked on 14 October 2026.

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