Ligue Nationale de Rugby

What Ligue Nationale de Rugby does

Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded on 24 July 1998 and headquartered at 9 rue Descombes, Paris. It operates by delegation of the French Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Fédération Française de Rugby to organize, regulate, and commercialize the country's three national professional rugby competitions — TOP 14 (14 clubs, 26 matchdays), PRO D2 (16 clubs, 30 matchdays), and In Extenso Supersevens (rugby sevens, with a new women's tournament announced). LNR represents French professional rugby clubs in European cup management and centralizes the negotiation of TV and partnership rights for the championships.

LNR runs a federated digital ecosystem spanning five owned properties — lnr.fr, top14.lnr.fr, prod2.lnr.fr, supersevens.lnr.fr, and the billetterie.lnr.fr ticketing storefront — built on Drupal CMS, hosted by NFRANCE in France, and ticketing infrastructure operated by Wetix on the Hubber/Tick&Live stack. Layered on this core are the MyRugby cross-competition membership program, the official Bourse d'Échange ticket resale marketplace, the TotalEnergies-supported Covoiturage LNR mobility platform, and dedicated Hospitalités LNR VIP packages for finals and semi-finals at Stade de France, Orange Vélodrome, and Stade Ernest-Wallon.

The business model combines centralized commercialization of TV and partnership rights (anchor broadcasters Canal+ and France Télévisions; sponsors Société Générale, Betclic, Pennylane, GMF, TotalEnergies), transactional revenue from direct ticketing and hospitality (match tickets from €35; hospitalité €690–€1,290 HT per person for two-match packs), commission income from the official resale exchange (5% LNR + 1.5% service provider), and program-driven advertising revenue. Distribution runs through the official storefront, an approved network of four travel/hospitality agencies, group and PSH ticketing modules, and a freemium MyRugby loyalty program that the LNR reserves the right to convert to a paid model.

Name

Ligue Nationale de Rugby

Legal name

LIGUE NATIONALE DE RUGBY

Website

https://lnr.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) is the French non-profit association that organizes, regulates, and commercializes the country's three national professional rugby competitions — TOP 14, PRO D2, and In Extenso Supersevens — operating ticketing, broadcast rights, sponsorships, and the MyRugby fan platform on behalf of French professional clubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports League Management

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Championship & Cup Organizers (MPAKADAB)

Keywords

• Professional rugby league
• Sports ticketing platform
• Hospitality packages
• Rugby championship management
• Fan membership program

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Match Ticketing (Grand Public): Direct online sale of e-tickets for TOP 14, PRO D2, In Extenso Supersevens matches, and phases finales. Prices are quoted in euros TTC and include management fees. Final TOP 14 2026 tickets from 35€. Payment by Visa, Carte Bleue, or MasterCard.
2. Hospitality & VIP Packages: Premium hospitality offerings including private lodges, shared lodges, panoramic VIP lounges, seated meals, and cocktail receptions for finals and semi-finals. Prices range from 690€HT to 1290€HT per person (pack 2 matches). Some packages quote-based.
3. Official Ticket Resale Commissions: Revenue from commissions on official peer-to-peer ticket exchange: 5% of face value per ticket (minimum 3€) borne by buyer, plus service provider commission of 1.5% (minimum 0.75€).
4. TV & Partnership Rights Commercialization: Negotiation and commercialization of television rights and partnership rights for the TOP 14 and PRO D2 championships. Broadcast partners include Canal+ and France Télévisions.
5. Approved Agency Packages: Revenue from authorized resellers/agencies (COULEUR, HEMISPHERES VOYAGE, REVOLUGO, MYCOMM) selling bundled ticket packages including hospitality, catering, transport, and accommodation services.
6. Advertising Revenue (Programmatic): Programmatic and direct advertising on LNR sites using partners including Google Ads, Google AdSense, Facebook, TikTok, Microsoft Clarity, Xandr, Nielsen, and others; advertising cookies and behavioral targeting enabled with user consent.
7. MyRugby Membership (current: free): Currently offered as a free loyalty program with potential future paid offers reserved. Generates indirect revenue through priority ticket sales, partner offers, and engagement-driven ticket/hospitality conversion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) organizes, manages, and regulates three national professional rugby competitions in France — TOP 14 (1st division, 14 clubs, 26 matchdays), PRO D2 (2nd division, 16 clubs, 30 matchdays), and In Extenso Supersevens (rugby sevens) — by delegation of the French Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Fédération Française de Rugby. It commercializes the championships' TV and partnership rights, operates the official billetterie.lnr.fr ticketing platform and Bourse d'Échange resale exchange, sells Hospitalités LNR VIP/hospitality packages, and runs the free MyRugby fan membership program.

Product overview

Ligue Nationale de Rugby operates a multi-site, platform-plus-sub-brands digital ecosystem centered on four competition portals — the institutional lnr.fr site, the TOP 14 first-division portal (top14.lnr.fr), the PRO D2 second-division portal (prod2.lnr.fr) and the In Extenso SuperSevens sevens portal (supersevens.lnr.fr) — all of which share a common ticketing back-end (Billetterie LNR at billetterie.lnr.fr) and a common loyalty layer (MyRugby). The ticketing platform is extended with three transactional modules: the official Bourse d'échange resale marketplace, the Covoiturage LNR carpooling service (with TotalEnergies), and the Hospitalités LNR VIP/hospitality packages for TOP 14, PRO D2 and SuperSevens finals and demi-finales, as well as approved agency packages (Couleur, Hémisphères Voyage, Revolugo, MyComm) bundling travel, accommodation and match access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOP 14: French professional rugby union top-tier championship organised and regulated by the LNR.
• PRO D2
• In Extenso Supersevens (SUPERSEVENS)
• MyRugby

Products and services

• TOP 14 Championship Top-tier French professional rugby competition of 14 clubs playing 26 matchdays plus playoffs, organized and regulated by the LNR for French professional rugby clubs and the public.
• PRO D2 Championship Second-division French professional rugby competition of 16 clubs playing 30 matchdays with promotion playoff to TOP 14, organized and regulated by the LNR for French professional rugby clubs and the public.
• In Extenso Supersevens Championship Professional rugby sevens championship organized and regulated by the LNR, including multi-stage tournaments and a Paris La Défense Arena finale with male and female competitions.
• Billetterie LNR (Official Ticketing Platform) Official ticketing platform (billetterie.lnr.fr) selling e-tickets for TOP 14, PRO D2, Supersevens, phases finales, Access Match, EPCR events, Rugby World Cup and Six Nations matches, with group, PSH and VIP/hospitality offers. Built on Hubber/Tick&Live stack hosted by Wetix.
• MyRugby Membership Program Free loyalty/membership program offering priority ticket windows for TOP 14 demi-finales/finále, PRO D2 finale and SuperSevens steps, unique experiences (player meet-and-greets, side-line canapés, private screenings, Nuit du Rugby draws), partner offers, personalized content and exclusive replays for individual rugby fans.
• Bourse d'Échange (Official Ticket Exchange) Official ticket exchange integrated into billetterie.lnr.fr, allowing face-value resale of TOP 14 and PRO D2 finals tickets with a 5% LNR commission (minimum €3) and 1.5% service provider commission (minimum €0.75) borne by the buyer; resales close 48h before kick-off.
• Hospitalités LNR (VIP / Hospitality Packages) Official hospitality offers for TOP 14 finale at Stade de France, PRO D2 finale at Stade Ernest-Wallon and demi-finales at Orange Vélodrome, including private boxes, shared boxes, panoramic lounges, brasseries and cocktail/buffet salons with VIP seating, parking and catering (€690–€1,290 HT/pers).
• Covoiturage LNR (Carpooling Platform) Carpooling platform at covoiturage.lnr.fr, developed with partner TotalEnergies, for all TOP 14 and PRO D2 matches. Users can propose or reserve rides, with exclusive rewards (e.g., a free parking spot) for carpoolers.
• Approved Agency Packages (Couleur, Hémisphères Voyage, Revolugo, MyComm) Approved travel agencies reselling bundled package offers (match ticket + hospitality, transport, accommodation) for LNR TOP 14 and PRO D2 finals during the 2025-2026 season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Negotiation and commercialization of TV rights and partnership rights for the TOP 14 and PRO D2 championships.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• PennylaneflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPennylane is the title sponsor of the TOP 14 "Phase finale Pennylane" — branded as the official sponsor of the TOP 14 final phase, with logo featured across the LNR communication assets.
• GMFcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLNR and GMF are engaged in an inclusion partnership ("La LNR et GMF s'engagent pour l'inclusion") — a societal engagement initiative announced on the LNR site.
• TotalEnergiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTotalEnergies supports the LNR's official carpooling platform (covoiturage.lnr.fr) for all TOP 14 and PRO D2 matches, including a special initiative for the TOP 14 Final at Stade de France. Carpoolers can win exclusive rewards including a free parking spot.
• Canal+flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCanal+ is one of the official broadcast partners of the TOP 14 final, with the Canal+ logo displayed on the top14.lnr.fr homepage. LNR negotiates and commercializes TV rights for the championships.
• France TélévisionsflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFrance Télévisions is the public broadcaster partner of the TOP 14 final, with the France.tv logo displayed on the top14.lnr.fr homepage. LNR negotiates and commercializes TV rights for the championships.
• Société GénéraleflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSociété Générale is the presenting sponsor of the "Homme du Match" (Man of the Match) award for TOP 14 semi-finals; the partnership was highlighted with Lenni Nouchi winning the award in the 2025-2026 semi-finals.
• BetcliccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBetclic is an official partner of the TOP 14, with its logo prominently displayed on the top14.lnr.fr homepage.
• COULEURminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOULEUR is one of the four LNR-approved agencies for the 2025-2026 season, authorized to sell bundled ticket packages ("Packages") including services such as hospitality, catering, transport, and accommodation.
• HEMISPHERES VOYAGEminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHEMISPHERES VOYAGE is one of the four LNR-approved agencies for the 2025-2026 season, authorized to sell bundled ticket packages including services such as hospitality, catering, transport, and accommodation.
• REVOLUGOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorREVOLUGO (CBS Travel, n° Atout France IM075180019) is one of the four LNR-approved agencies for 2025-2026; provides the "Voyage et Hébergement" interface from billetterie.lnr.fr, taking user data as its own data controller, and offers group accommodation via [email protected].
• MYCOMMminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMYCOMM is one of the four LNR-approved agencies for the 2025-2026 season, authorized to sell bundled ticket packages including services such as hospitality, catering, transport, and accommodation.
• WebqamcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWebqam (27 rue des Aciéries, 42000 Saint-Étienne) is the digital agency that designed and developed the LNR websites (lnr.fr, top14.lnr.fr, prod2.lnr.fr, supersevens.lnr.fr).
• WetixflagshipTechnology or IntegrationWetix (www.wetix.fr, 114 rue Chaptal, 92300 Levallois-Perret) designed, hosts, and operates the billetterie.lnr.fr ticketing site. The site is hosted in France.
• Tick&LiveflagshipTechnology or IntegrationTick&Live (Les Mercuriales, 40 Rue Jean Jaurès, 93170 Bagnolet) is the ticketing technology provider associated with the billetterie.lnr.fr platform.
• NFRANCEcoreTechnology or IntegrationNFRANCE (9 rue Ritay, 31000 Toulouse) is the hosting provider for the main LNR websites (lnr.fr, top14.lnr.fr, prod2.lnr.fr, supersevens.lnr.fr).
• DidomicoreTechnology or IntegrationDidomi is the Consent Management Platform (CMP) partner of LNR, powering the cookie consent interface (Didomi_token, euconsent) across the LNR websites.
• Google AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Analytics is used by LNR for site traffic statistics, performance analytics, and optimization of the websites.
• MatomocoreTechnology or IntegrationMatomo is used by LNR as an analytics platform for traffic statistics on the LNR websites.
• Facebook (Meta)coreTechnology or IntegrationFacebook tracking (_fbp) is used to identify visitors from Facebook publications and for targeted advertising.
• DailymotioncoreTechnology or IntegrationDailymotion is the video platform partner for embedded videos on LNR sites.
• Microsoft ClaritycoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Clarity provides behavioral analytics for the billetterie.lnr.fr ticketing site (CLID, ANONCHK, MUID cookies).
• Hubber (via billetterie.lnr.fr)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationHubber is the ticketing platform powering billetterie.lnr.fr (Drupal-based, evidenced by the Drupal.tableDrag.showWeight cookie and Mutu/Hubber URLs in the billetterie site's privacy policy).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ligue Nationale de Handball (LNH): French professional handball league organizer. Comparable as a French professional sport governing body with centralized competition management, broadcast deals, and commercial partnership sales.
• Premiership Rugby: Organizer of English professional club rugby. The closest international peer to LNR, running a comparable tier-1 rugby league with centralized broadcasting, ticketing infrastructure, and commercial sponsorship.
• Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP): French professional football league organizing Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Directly comparable as a French national professional sports league organizer with delegated authority, centralized TV rights commercialization, and ticketing/hospitality commercialization.
• Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB): Organizer of French professional basketball (Betclic Élite and Pro B). Closely comparable as a delegated French professional sports league with centralized broadcasting, ticketing, and sponsorship commercialization.

Broad incumbents

• European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR): Organizer of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup in which LNR's clubs participate. Comparable as the continental rugby competition body with centralized TV rights and commercial operations.
• World Rugby: Global governing body of rugby union, including organization of the Rugby World Cup. Comparable as the apex regulatory and commercial organizer for international rugby competition.
• Six Nations Rugby: Governing body of the Six Nations international rugby championship. Comparable as a multi-national rugby competition organizer with centralized broadcast rights commercialization and major sponsorship portfolio.

Regional players

• Stade Français Paris: One of LNR's member clubs in the TOP 14. Indirectly comparable as a consumer-facing rugby brand in the same ecosystem, with ticketing, hospitality, and sponsorship capabilities at club level rather than league level.

Emerging players

• United Rugby Championship (URC): Multi-nation professional rugby league covering clubs from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. Comparable as an emerging consolidated professional rugby property with centralized TV rights and commercial operations.

Others

• FFR (Fédération Française de Rugby): French national rugby federation that delegates professional rugby management to LNR. Directly comparable as the supervisory body governing LNR's delegated authority and as the organizer of the amateur rugby pyramid below LNR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/top14rugby
• Facebookfacebook.com/top14rugby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ligue-nationale-de-rugby

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ligue Nationale de Rugby