🏉 The French cities with the most rugby players

Per inhabitant, the most rugby-playing town in France is Urrugne, with 29.8 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.) and Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.).

What are the 10 French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
In order: Urrugne, Tarnos, Lavaur, Léognan, Châteaurenard, Biscarrosse, Tournon-sur-Rhône, Castres, Castelsarrasin and Mios.
What is the top 5 of French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
Urrugne (29.8 / 1,000 inhab.), Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.), Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Léognan (23.3 / 1,000 inhab.) and Châteaurenard (22.1 / 1,000 inhab.).
Which city is 2nd in the ranking of French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
Tarnos, at 24.9 / 1,000 inhab., just behind Urrugne (29.8 / 1,000 inhab.).
Is Urrugne really the French city with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
Yes, at 29.8 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.) and Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.).
In which département is Urrugne?
Urrugne is in département 64, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
What is the difference between Urrugne and Tarnos?
Urrugne is at 29.8 / 1,000 inhab., Tarnos at 24.9 / 1,000 inhab. The table gives the same figure for all 100 places, so any two of them can be compared the same way.
Which city is 10th in the ranking of French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
Mios, at 20.8 / 1,000 inhab.
How many French cities does this ranking compare?
1,036, with the top 100 listed in full in the table below.
What are the French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant in 2026?
This ranking uses the most recent official figures published as of 2026: Urrugne leads with 29.8 / 1,000 inhab.
Is there a complete ranking of French cities with the most rugby players per inhabitant?
Yes, the table below: the top 100 of 1,036, each with its département and its region, and the exact method and scope stated underneath it.
Where is rugby most popular in France?
In the south west, overwhelmingly: Urrugne (29.8 / 1,000 inhab.), Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.), Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Léognan (23.3 / 1,000 inhab.) and Châteaurenard (22.1 / 1,000 inhab.). Measured per inhabitant rather than in raw numbers, so a small town with a strong club outranks a big city.

The table below ranks the top 100 of the 1,036 cities in the dataset, each with its département, its region and the figure it is ranked on (rugby players per 1,000 inhabitants), so you can see not just the order but how far apart the places are. The numbers are official public data: INSEE legal populations and the IGN commune registry, with the exact method and the exact scope stated under the table rather than left to be guessed at.

The same data answers neighbouring questions too: see The French cities with the most pétanque players and The French cities with the most golfers, or all rankings for the full list. All of it comes from Le Bon Rang, a free daily game that gives you five French cities and one of these statistics and asks you for the order.

Top 100 of 1,036 cities
#CityRegionPlayers / 1,000Population
164UrrugneNouvelle-Aquitaine29.8 / 1,000 inhab.10,661
240TarnosNouvelle-Aquitaine24.9 / 1,000 inhab.12,957
381LavaurOccitanie24.4 / 1,000 inhab.10,965
433LéognanNouvelle-Aquitaine23.3 / 1,000 inhab.10,670
513ChâteaurenardProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur22.1 / 1,000 inhab.16,545
640BiscarrosseNouvelle-Aquitaine21.9 / 1,000 inhab.15,836
707Tournon-sur-RhôneAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes21.7 / 1,000 inhab.11,279
881CastresOccitanie21.2 / 1,000 inhab.42,505
982CastelsarrasinOccitanie21 / 1,000 inhab.14,343
1033MiosNouvelle-Aquitaine20.8 / 1,000 inhab.12,043
1183Le PradetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur19.4 / 1,000 inhab.10,933
1212MillauOccitanie18.5 / 1,000 inhab.22,044
1381GraulhetOccitanie18.5 / 1,000 inhab.13,129
1431TournefeuilleOccitanie18.4 / 1,000 inhab.30,168
1519Brive-la-GaillardeNouvelle-Aquitaine18.2 / 1,000 inhab.47,095
1615AurillacAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes18.2 / 1,000 inhab.26,214
1732AuchOccitanie18.1 / 1,000 inhab.22,428
1866Argelès-sur-MerOccitanie17.6 / 1,000 inhab.10,616
1964BayonneNouvelle-Aquitaine17.3 / 1,000 inhab.54,306
2069ChassieuAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes17 / 1,000 inhab.11,208
2163Pont-du-ChâteauAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes16.9 / 1,000 inhab.12,412
2281MazametOccitanie16.8 / 1,000 inhab.10,085
2364HendayeNouvelle-Aquitaine16.5 / 1,000 inhab.18,102
2464Oloron-Sainte-MarieNouvelle-Aquitaine16.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,684
2566CabestanyOccitanie16.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,465
2609PamiersOccitanie16.4 / 1,000 inhab.16,473
2733CestasNouvelle-Aquitaine16.3 / 1,000 inhab.16,666
2833BiganosNouvelle-Aquitaine16.3 / 1,000 inhab.11,431
2982MontaubanOccitanie16.2 / 1,000 inhab.62,945
3064AngletNouvelle-Aquitaine16.2 / 1,000 inhab.43,271
3140DaxNouvelle-Aquitaine15.6 / 1,000 inhab.22,109
3263GerzatAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes15.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,335
3382MoissacOccitanie15.2 / 1,000 inhab.13,419
3431FonsorbesOccitanie15 / 1,000 inhab.12,954
35974L'Étang-SaléLa Réunion14.7 / 1,000 inhab.14,464
3631AuteriveOccitanie14.7 / 1,000 inhab.10,456
3781GaillacOccitanie14.6 / 1,000 inhab.16,162
3833Gujan-MestrasNouvelle-Aquitaine14.2 / 1,000 inhab.22,153
3938L'Isle-d'AbeauAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes14.1 / 1,000 inhab.17,515
4011CastelnaudaryOccitanie14.1 / 1,000 inhab.12,151
4183Le BeaussetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur14.1 / 1,000 inhab.10,219
4240Saint-Pierre-du-MontNouvelle-Aquitaine14.1 / 1,000 inhab.10,092
4331BlagnacOccitanie13.9 / 1,000 inhab.27,604
4464OrthezNouvelle-Aquitaine13.9 / 1,000 inhab.10,881
4578MontessonÎle-de-France13.7 / 1,000 inhab.14,549
4629PlouzanéBretagne13.7 / 1,000 inhab.13,567
4738Saint-ÉgrèveAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes13.4 / 1,000 inhab.17,986
4811NarbonneOccitanie13.3 / 1,000 inhab.57,587
4938FontaineAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes13.2 / 1,000 inhab.22,020
5047AgenNouvelle-Aquitaine13.1 / 1,000 inhab.32,801
5119TulleNouvelle-Aquitaine13.1 / 1,000 inhab.13,401
5248MendeOccitanie13.1 / 1,000 inhab.12,464
5331CastelginestOccitanie13.1 / 1,000 inhab.11,271
5440Saint-Paul-lès-DaxNouvelle-Aquitaine13 / 1,000 inhab.14,481
5526Portes-lès-ValenceAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes13 / 1,000 inhab.10,477
5684MonteuxProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.9 / 1,000 inhab.13,301
5783Solliès-PontProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.9 / 1,000 inhab.12,521
5864BiarritzNouvelle-Aquitaine12.7 / 1,000 inhab.26,206
5984SorguesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.6 / 1,000 inhab.19,006
6033ParempuyreNouvelle-Aquitaine12.6 / 1,000 inhab.10,672
6169TarareAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes12.4 / 1,000 inhab.10,893
6231BalmaOccitanie12.3 / 1,000 inhab.17,772
632APorto-VecchioCorse12.3 / 1,000 inhab.11,198
6431Plaisance-du-TouchOccitanie12.2 / 1,000 inhab.21,079
6513Fos-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.2 / 1,000 inhab.15,862
6663ThiersAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes12.2 / 1,000 inhab.11,637
6747MarmandeNouvelle-Aquitaine12.1 / 1,000 inhab.17,328
6831SeyssesOccitanie12.1 / 1,000 inhab.10,539
6973La Motte-ServolexAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes12 / 1,000 inhab.12,067
7031Villeneuve-TolosaneOccitanie11.9 / 1,000 inhab.11,044
7183La CrauProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur11.8 / 1,000 inhab.19,556
7264LonsNouvelle-Aquitaine11.8 / 1,000 inhab.13,606
7369GenasAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes11.6 / 1,000 inhab.13,421
7465LourdesOccitanie11.6 / 1,000 inhab.13,266
7533Saint-LoubèsNouvelle-Aquitaine11.6 / 1,000 inhab.10,027
7631ColomiersOccitanie11.5 / 1,000 inhab.40,882
7756GuidelBretagne11.5 / 1,000 inhab.12,338
7831Saint-GaudensOccitanie11.5 / 1,000 inhab.12,139
7931Saint-JeanOccitanie11.5 / 1,000 inhab.11,261
8040Mont-de-MarsanNouvelle-Aquitaine11.4 / 1,000 inhab.31,592
8194VillecresnesÎle-de-France11.2 / 1,000 inhab.11,647
8263AubièreAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes11.2 / 1,000 inhab.10,459
8379ParthenayNouvelle-Aquitaine11.2 / 1,000 inhab.10,140
8483La FarlèdeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur11.2 / 1,000 inhab.10,014
8501ValserhôneAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes11.1 / 1,000 inhab.16,712
8631L'UnionOccitanie11 / 1,000 inhab.12,638
8733Saint-Médard-en-JallesNouvelle-Aquitaine10.8 / 1,000 inhab.32,910
8838Bourgoin-JallieuAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes10.8 / 1,000 inhab.30,151
8960SenlisHauts-de-France10.8 / 1,000 inhab.15,157
9026Romans-sur-IsèreAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes10.7 / 1,000 inhab.33,464
9133Le BouscatNouvelle-Aquitaine10.7 / 1,000 inhab.25,081
9283La Valette-du-VarProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur10.7 / 1,000 inhab.23,719
9301OyonnaxAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes10.7 / 1,000 inhab.22,480
9484Pernes-les-FontainesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur10.7 / 1,000 inhab.10,504
9535BruzBretagne10.6 / 1,000 inhab.19,683
9666Canet-en-RoussillonOccitanie10.6 / 1,000 inhab.13,227
9783La GardeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur10.5 / 1,000 inhab.26,476
9812RodezOccitanie10.5 / 1,000 inhab.23,981
9963RiomAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes10.5 / 1,000 inhab.18,820
10031CugnauxOccitanie10.4 / 1,000 inhab.20,662

Scope: France, metropolitan and overseas, Corsica and the DROM included. This dataset holds every commune of 10,000 inhabitants or more, plus smaller communes famous enough to be household names, 1,131 in all. It is not the full list of 35,000 French communes, so a village can sit outside a ranking whose extreme it would otherwise hold. This particular ranking is a rate per inhabitant, so it covers towns of 10,000 people or more only: in a village of a hundred, three licence holders would read as thirty per thousand and outrank a town with a professional club, so no rate is published below that size rather than a meaningless one.

Method and sources: populations are the INSEE legal populations, boundaries and coordinates come from the IGN commune registry, both served by geo.api.gouv.fr. Density is the population divided by the commune's area; distances are measured as the crow flies from the commune's centre. Data read on August 11, 2026.

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FAQ

Which French city plays the most rugby?

Per inhabitant, the most rugby-playing town in France is Urrugne, with 29.8 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.) and Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.).

What are the top 10?

In order: Urrugne (29.8 / 1,000 inhab.), Tarnos (24.9 / 1,000 inhab.), Lavaur (24.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Léognan (23.3 / 1,000 inhab.), Châteaurenard (22.1 / 1,000 inhab.), Biscarrosse (21.9 / 1,000 inhab.), Tournon-sur-Rhône (21.7 / 1,000 inhab.), Castres (21.2 / 1,000 inhab.), Castelsarrasin (21 / 1,000 inhab.), Mios (20.8 / 1,000 inhab.).

Why isn't Toulouse first?

Because this counts players per inhabitant, not in total. Toulouse has the most decorated club in European rugby and, in raw numbers, one of the largest bodies of players in the country; divided by half a million residents it lands mid-table. The top of this ranking is the Basque country, the Landes and the Tarn, where a town of twelve thousand fields enough licensed players to change its own percentage.

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