Buy Lens vs ES Troyes AC tickets for the 2026/27 Season, with the Ligue 1 Matchday 21 meeting set for Saturday 20 February 2027 and currently listed for 15:00 local time (14:00 UK) at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The league fixes final kick-off slots once the broadcasters have made their picks, so treat the date as the anchor and the hour as provisional. A move to Friday night or Sunday is possible.
Thousands trust 1BoxOffice
This is the first league visit of a newly promoted side to the reigning Coupe de France holders. RC Lens finished second in Ligue 1 in 2025/26 and won the cup for the first time in their history, beating Nice 3-1 in the final. ES Troyes AC came back up as Ligue 2 champions. On paper the gap is wide, but Troyes arrive with a promoted side's hunger and a ground full of 38,000 waiting to test it.
The sections below cover how ticketing works at Bollaert, what resale prices look like, where to sit, what hospitality includes and how each ticket reaches you. The record between the clubs and the story behind it follow further down.
Stade Bollaert-Delelis holds around 38,200 and Lens fill it. The club's average home crowd in 2025/26 sat at roughly 37,000 to 38,000, which means almost every league game runs close to capacity. Lens is a town of around 30,000 people, yet its football club regularly draws more than the town's own population through the gates.
Most of that capacity goes before a single day ticket is sold. Season ticket holders take the large majority of seats and get first call on every other sale too. For the Champions League home games this season, the club opened a priority window for season ticket holders before any general sale began. League games follow the same pattern.
The cup win and a Champions League campaign have pushed interest higher still. Supporters from across the old mining basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, plus visitors from Lille, Paris and Belgium, all compete for the same small pool of seats. Even a mid-table opponent on a February Saturday draws a near-full house at Bollaert.
Troyes add a smaller share of demand from the away side. Their following is modest compared with the bigger French clubs. The guest sector at Bollaert holds around 1,000. Most of the pressure on this fixture comes from home supporters and neutrals who want to see Lens in the season after a historic cup win.
Timing matters as well. Late February falls in the stretch of the season when the Champions League knockout rounds begin, which can shift Ligue 1 kick-off slots around European commitments. Resale prices usually firm up once the slot is confirmed and again in the final fortnight.
Kick-off slots matter more at Bollaert than at many grounds. A Saturday afternoon game lets supporters from Lille, Paris and Brussels travel in and out by train on the same day, which widens the pool of buyers. An evening slot narrows it to locals and those prepared to stay overnight, so the confirmed time can shift both demand and price.
Through the club, only in small numbers. Lens sell home tickets in phases, with season ticket holders first and the general public afterwards, subject to availability. For most league games that leaves a thin general sale, often limited to scattered single seats or the more expensive categories.
The club also runs its own resale platform, where season ticket holders can release seats they cannot use. Stock there is unpredictable. It tends to appear late, often in the final days before kick-off. It disappears quickly when the opponent or the date suits local supporters.
That is where a verified resale marketplace fits. On 1BoxOffice you can buy without a season ticket, choose the area you want and see the delivery method before you pay. Listings come from sellers who already hold tickets, so you are not refreshing a club queue. The trade-off is price: resale reflects demand, not face value.
Troyes supporters face their own rules. Away places at Bollaert are sold through the visiting club, with all 1,000 seats in the guest sector offered at a flat price. Anyone travelling from Troyes without an away ticket should buy in a neutral area and follow the colours guidance that comes with it.
Five things set the price for this fixture: seat location, overall demand, how close the match is, the league position of both sides in February and whether you want hospitality. Face values at Bollaert are among the more affordable in Ligue 1, from around 9 euros to around 46 euros, but scarcity pushes resale well above that.
| Ticket Type | Resale Price Range | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behind the goal, upper level | £45 – £75 | Budget buyers | Full view of the pitch from height |
| Corner seats | £55 – £90 | First-time visitors | Angled view, often the easiest to find in pairs |
| Side stand, upper tier | £70 – £115 | Buyers who want a balanced view | Good sightlines across both halves |
| Side stand, lower central | £90 – £150 | Couples and small groups | Close to the touchline, limited supply |
| Business seat or VIP package | £200 – £450+ | Corporate guests and special occasions | Premium seat with catering |
Prices reflect typical resale ranges and may change as demand and availability shift closer to the match.
Two patterns are worth knowing. Seats in the Marek stand, the home end, rarely reach the resale market because that is where the most committed season ticket holders sit. Groups of four or more seated together tend to sit at the top of each bracket, since most listings come in pairs.
Watch the kick-off slot as well. A Saturday afternoon game suits visitors travelling from Paris, Lille or London. If the league moves the match to a Sunday evening, some travelling buyers drop out and prices can soften slightly in the days that follow.
Bollaert is a classic English-style ground with four separate stands close to the pitch, rebuilt in stages and renovated for Euro 2016. The Marek stand behind one goal is the home kop, with the Xercès Louis section above it. The Trannin and Delacourt stands run along the sides, while the Lepagnot stand sits behind the other goal. The Stade Bollaert-Delelis seating plan shows each block before you choose.
| Area | What It Suits | Pricing Bracket | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribune Marek | Atmosphere seekers | Lower | The home kop, mostly season ticket holders and supporter groups |
| Tribune Trannin | Tactical view and first visits | Mid to upper | Side stand with around 12,000 seats and a balanced view |
| Tribune Delacourt | Value with a side view | Mid | The largest side stand, with good sightlines from the upper rows |
| Tribune Lepagnot | Groups and budget buyers | Lower to mid | Behind the goal facing the kop, with a clear view of the home end |
| Troyes guest sector | Troyes supporters | Lower | Around 1,000 places, separated from home areas |
| Business seats and boxes | Comfort and dining | Upper | Premium areas in the main side stands with lounge access |
Neutral buyers should stay out of the guest sector and avoid Troyes colours in home areas, since stewards and neighbours expect home places to be home support. If you are undecided, a seat in the Lepagnot stand gives a full view of the Marek kop, which is half the reason many visitors come.
The atmosphere is the headline. Bollaert is known across France for its noise, its blood-and-gold colours and the singing of "Les Corons" at half-time, a song about the region's mining heritage that the whole ground joins. Few French grounds feel as close to the pitch or as loud for a routine league game.
Where you sit shapes how much of that you take in. Upper rows on the Trannin and Delacourt sides look across at both ends, which suits first-time visitors who want to see the whole show. Lower rows put you near the action but give a flatter view of play.
The kop is worth a word of its own. The Marek stand is home to the club's main supporter groups. On a full matchday the choreography, flags and drums run from well before kick-off to the final whistle. Neutral visitors who want to sit among it should look for listings in the lower Marek blocks, but expect to sing.
Families should look for seats in the side stands, away from the kop. Choose an aisle seat if you are bringing young children, so trips to the concourse are quick and simple. Supporters who need an accessible position should contact the club directly, as places for wheelchair users are allocated separately.
Bollaert's premium areas were upgraded with the Euro 2016 renovation and sit mainly in the side stands. Lens sell business seats, lounge packages and private boxes, with dining before the match and at half-time. Much of that capacity is sold to partners and local businesses on season-long deals.
| Hospitality Option | Typical Buyer | Main Appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Business seat | Individuals and pairs | Padded seat in a side stand with lounge access and catering |
| Lounge package | Small groups | Buffet dining, drinks and a reserved seat near the halfway line |
| Private box | Corporate hosts | Exclusive space for a group with its own catering |
| Partner package | Business guests | Hospitality sold through the club's sponsor network |
Inclusions vary by listing, so read the notes before you pay and confirm whether drinks are included throughout. Single-match hospitality for a league game is easier to find than for a Champions League night, but it still sells well in a season this busy.
Book early if a package suits you. A February Saturday is a popular date for corporate guests. With Lens playing in Europe the club's premium inventory is in higher demand than usual.
Every listing states its delivery method before you buy. The four you are likely to see are below.
| Delivery Type | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Mobile ticket | Which app or transfer method the seller uses and when the transfer will happen |
| E-ticket (PDF) | That the file shows your stand, block, row and seat and displays clearly |
| Season card access | How access loaded on a season card will be handed over and returned |
| Local collection | The meeting point, time window and what ID you need to collect |
Read the listing notes for any restrictions, bring valid photo ID and charge your phone fully if entry is mobile. Arrive early, since the ground fills well before kick-off.
Getting there is simple. Lens railway station is around a 15-minute walk from the ground. Direct high-speed trains from Paris Nord take a little over an hour. Regional trains link Lens with Lille in well under an hour, which makes Lille a practical base for overseas visitors.
Drivers will find large car parks to the north-east of the ground, reached via the Route de Béthune, but they fill early on a full matchday. The roads out of Lens are slow after the final whistle, so the train is usually the calmer choice.
Allow time after the match too. With 38,000 leaving at once, the walk back to the station and the queues for trains build quickly. Staying for a drink near the ground while the crowds clear usually costs little time in the end.
1BoxOffice has been a verified ticket marketplace since 2006 and every order is covered by a 150% money-back guarantee.
Step1
Find the fixture
Search for Lens against Troyes and open the listing for Saturday 20 February 2027 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Step2
Set up your account
Create an account so your order, delivery updates and receipts sit in one place.
Step3
Filter by area
Narrow the listings by stand so you only see seats that fit your budget and plans.
Step4
Choose your quantity
Select how many tickets you need. Listings show whether seats are guaranteed together.
Step5
Read the listing notes
Confirm the delivery method, the stand and whether the seat sits in a home area.
Step6
Enter your details
Add the names and contact details the seller needs to transfer or dispatch the tickets.
Step7
Pay securely
Complete payment through the encrypted checkout and wait for your confirmation email.
Step8
Follow your order
Use track order to see when your tickets are sent and how they will arrive.
Most overseas visitors fly into Paris or Brussels, or take the Eurostar from London to Lille, then continue by train to Lens. Lille Europe is under an hour and a half from London St Pancras. The onward trip to Lens takes well under an hour. Choose mobile or e-ticket listings if you are travelling from abroad, then filter for seats together if you are a group.
The main variable for overseas buyers is the kick-off time. The league confirms exact slots a few weeks before the matchday, so book flexible trains or hotels where you can and keep a day either side if the trip is long. The Stade Bollaert-Delelis guide lists every upcoming fixture at the ground if you want to plan more than one visit.
Lens itself has a small hotel stock that fills on matchdays, so many visitors stay in Lille and travel in. Lille's old town, its Flemish squares and its restaurants make a strong weekend base, while the Stade Pierre-Mauroy guide covers Lille's home fixtures if you want to add a second match.
The town rewards a short visit too. The Louvre-Lens museum sits a short walk from the ground, while the slag heaps of the mining basin, now a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, are visible from the approach roads. Many visitors pair the match with a morning at the museum. If you plan to see the reverse fixture, the Stade de l'Aube guide covers Troyes' home ground.
Lens arrive at this fixture in the best period of their modern history. Champions of France in 1998, they spent several seasons in Ligue 2 before returning to the top flight in 2020. Since then they have become regular contenders near the top of the table. The 2025/26 season brought a second-place finish with 70 points and, in May 2026, the first Coupe de France in the club's history.
Troyes have taken the opposite route in recent years. Relegated from Ligue 1 in 2023, they spent three seasons in Ligue 2 before rebuilding. In 2025/26 they won the second tier with 67 points under Stéphane Dumont to return to the top flight. Part of the City Football Group, they arrive with a young squad and a clear aim of staying up.
The clubs know each other well from the lower division too. They met regularly in Ligue 2 between 2018 and 2020. Lens beat Troyes in a promotion play-off in 2019. Most recently they met in the Coupe de France in February 2026, when Lens won in Troyes on the way to lifting the trophy.
On paper, the gap between the sides is wide. Lens are playing in the Champions League, while Troyes' squad is valued at a fraction of their hosts'. Yet newly promoted sides often travel without fear. Troyes' only Ligue 1 win at Bollaert came when few expected it.
For Lens, this is the kind of fixture that decides a season. Dropping points at home to promoted opposition is how European places slip away, so expect the home side to press from the start and the crowd to push them on.
The cup run told its own story about this Lens side. They won away at Troyes in February, kept going through the later rounds and then beat Nice comfortably at the Stade de France. Supporters who had waited more than a century for that trophy now expect the club to compete on every front, which raises the bar for routine home games like this one.
Troyes will see it differently. A promoted side's first season is usually decided by home form and by stealing points where nobody expects them. A result at Bollaert would be worth far more than its value in the table. The visiting supporters in the guest sector will travel north knowing that.
That mix of a long unbeaten home run and a newly promoted visitor with nothing to lose is what makes the date worth a ticket. Lens have not lost a Ligue 1 home game to Troyes in more than a quarter of a century. Troyes will arrive aiming to end that.
The figures below cover every Ligue 1 meeting at Stade Bollaert-Delelis with Lens as hosts. Ligue 2, cup and away meetings are excluded.
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 8 |
| Lens wins | 5 |
| Troyes wins | 1 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Lens goals | 9 |
| Troyes goals | 2 |
| Biggest Lens win | 4-0 (5 Nov 2021) |
| Biggest Troyes win | 0-1 (12 Mar 2000) |
| First meeting in scope | 12 Mar 2000 |
| Most recent meeting in scope | 9 Sep 2022 |
Source: fussballdaten.de, cross-checked against football-data.co.uk.
The pattern is clear. Troyes have scored only twice in eight Ligue 1 visits to Bollaert. Lens have kept a clean sheet in six of those games. Lens have won the last five meetings in a row, each without conceding.
All Ligue 1 meetings at Stade Bollaert-Delelis with Lens as hosts, newest first.
| Date | Fixture | Score | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2022 | Lens vs Troyes | 1-0 | 2022/23 |
| 5 Nov 2021 | Lens vs Troyes | 4-0 | 2021/22 |
| 5 Aug 2006 | Lens vs Troyes | 1-0 | 2006/07 |
| 11 Mar 2006 | Lens vs Troyes | 1-0 | 2005/06 |
| 10 May 2003 | Lens vs Troyes | 1-0 | 2002/03 |
| 6 Apr 2002 | Lens vs Troyes | 0-0 | 2001/02 |
| 4 May 2001 | Lens vs Troyes | 1-1 | 2000/01 |
| 12 Mar 2000 | Lens vs Troyes | 0-1 | 1999/00 |
Source: fussballdaten.de and football-data.co.uk.
Five straight 1-0 or better home wins say a lot about how Lens approach this fixture. Five of the eight games were settled by a single goal, so a tight first hour is the likeliest script in February.
Only if seats remain after the season ticket holders' window, which is rare. Verified resale listings are open to anyone.
Earlier is usually more affordable, as prices tend to rise once the kick-off time is fixed and again in the last two weeks.
Around 38,200, with four separate stands close to the pitch and the home kop in the Marek stand.
Take the train to Lens station, which is around a 15-minute walk from the ground.
In the guest sector, which holds around 1,000 and opens 90 minutes before kick-off. Home fans should not buy there.
Sources: fussballdaten.de and football-data.co.uk match records; RC Lens official ticketing and away sector information; ESPN and France Info coverage of the 2026 Coupe de France final; Lensois.com ticketing reports; Football Stadiums stadium details.