More than 20 hours by plane for a Cup race. It will happen on November 18, when the Lorraine team will fly to New Caledonia
As has already happened in the past, the French Cup returns to offer curious and interesting stories. On November 18th Thionville, a fifth division team (our Excellence) will fly to New Caledonia to challenge Hienghene Sport. A journey lasting more than 20 hours each way and more than 30 thousand kilometers round trip.
The trip
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You may be wondering why a French club has to fly to the middle of the Pacific Ocean for a French Cup match. The reason, however, is very simple: all the teams from the French colonies have access to the national cup. Thionville will therefore fly to Oceania to challenge Hienghene Sport and the match will be before the eyes of all French football fans. In addition to the long duration of the journey, which risks getting longer with airport stops, the Thionville players will also have to get used to the time difference. New Caledonia is in fact a good 10 hours ahead of Europe, and jet lag could play a nasty trick.