Rodez surge to play-offs, but are they ready for Ligue 1? | OneFootball

Rodez are thriving on the pitch despite holding only Ligue 2’s 16th budget, 7.7 million euros, according to L'Équipe. Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Red Star set up a play-off trip to Saint-Étienne on Friday at 20:30, sharpening the question of whether they are ready for Ligue 1.

The RAF have repeated last season’s charge, when they lost a semi-final to Saint-Étienne 0-2. They are the only side still unbeaten in 2026 among the 198 teams across the top two tiers in the five major leagues, a run dating to 7 November 2025.

General manager Grégory Ursule, in post since 2011, forms a tight core with president Pierre-Olivier Murat and development director Guillaume Laurens. They oversee administrative and football matters together, a habit forged in CFA days and maintained since leaving that level in 2017, which keeps decisions aligned and quick.

Stability extends to the dugout, with Didier Santini appointed in 2022 after Laurent Peyrelade’s seven-year spell. Rodez have built a solid Ligue 2 structure by reviving players and selling smartly, anchored in a territory with no other professional club within 150 kilometres.

Paul-Lignon’s 6,761 seats sell out and hospitality is full, and the stadium meets Ligue 1 specifications even if it would be the smallest in the division. Aveyron has never had a top-flight club, so promotion would bring careful scaling and further structuring already being anticipated. If the unbeaten run endures for four more games, the budget would need swift recalculation.

Source: L'Équipe