West Ham United v LOSC Lille
BOYLE Sports Cup, London Stadium, Saturday 9 August 2025, 3pm BST
West Ham United return to London Stadium for a final pre-season outing of the summer against French Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
The Hammers have enjoyed a productive pre-season so far, having won three of their four matches, and will be eager to secure a positive conclusion by lifting the BOYLE Sports Cup before all focus shifts to league duties.
Having secured a 3-1 victory over 27-times Swiss champions Grasshopper Club Zürich in mid-July, Graham Potter’s side participated in the Premier League Summer Series in the USA, a four-team pre-season tournament that yielded impressive victories over Everton and AFC Bournemouth, as well as a narrow defeat at the hands of Manchester United.
LOSC Lille, managed by Bruno Génésio, finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season, missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification only on goal difference, and have won three of their five pre-season games so far.
Les Dogues defeated KAA Gent B 2-0, then won 5-0 against Ligue 2 outfit Amiens SC before suffering a pair of 3-2 defeats against Cesc Fàbregas’ Como 1907 and Borussia Dortmund. They then beat Serie B side Venezia FC 3-0 on Wednesday, with former Arsenal and Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud scoring a brace.
As the build-up to matchday continues, scroll down below to find all the information you need ahead of kick-off...
BOYLE Sports Cup…
Saturday's game will see the winner lift the inaugural BOYLE Sports Cup. Should the scores be level after 90 minutes, a penalty shootout will take place to decide the victors. There will be no extra-time played.
The two clubs have agreed to make up to a maximum of eleven substitutes each, with the number of occasions on which substitutions can be made during the second half limited to three.
Meanwhile, additional occasions for substitutions shall be permitted in the event of a serious injury to a player arising during the second half after all three permitted substitution occasions have taken place.
There will be no VAR in place for the fixture.
Tickets…
Tickets for our BOYLE Sports Cup fixture against LOSC Lille have sold out.
Travel…
There are planned disruptions to TfL Underground services on the Central line.
There will be no services running between Leytonstone and Loughton or between Newbury Park and Woodford (via Hainault) on Saturday. Replacement buses will be in operation across the weekend during the part closure.
Meanwhile, the Waterloo & City line does not run on Saturdays, Sundays or bank/public holidays. It only operates from Monday to Friday.
Supporters using these services are highly recommended to check their routes before departure.
Similarly, there are minor disruptions on c2c mainline services, with services towards Grays not stopping at Rainham.
Otherwise, supporters travelling to London Stadium this weekend should be largely unaffected.
Stratford and Stratford City bus stations are located in close proximity to Stratford station. Buses that run to these stations are numbers: 25, 86, 97, 104, 108, 158, 241, 257, 262, 276, 308, 425, 473, D8.
Supporters using public transport are advised to check their journeys before they travel, using resources such as TfL’s Journey Planner and the TfL Go app. Supporters may also wish to visit the National Rail website if travelling on the rail network.
There is no parking available at London Stadium. Restrictions will be in place and enforced in the local area.
How To Follow…
You can watch Saturday’s BOYLE Sports Cup clash with LOSC Lille live on West Ham TV!
We’ll be streaming the sold-out match live from London Stadium, meaning you don’t have to miss a kick as Graham Potter’s men put the final touches on their preparations for the new Premier League campaign.
The stream is FREE for Season Ticket Holders and just £4.99 for all other supporters*, with passes available to purchase now.
Head to whufc.com/video-packages to buy your match pass now - or if you’re a Season Ticket Holder simply log-in to your West Ham Account - just as you would do for ticketing or retail - to watch on the day.
For more information, click HERE.
Meanwhile, you can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have a match report, highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
*Please note that due to rights restrictions, we are unable to stream in USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, France, Norway, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Please check your local broadcasters for details of coverage in these territories.
We Are West Ham. United...
West Ham United has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Equality, equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the Club and we are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome to attend our fixtures in a safe environment.
Any form of discriminatory behaviour or chanting is unacceptable; it has no place in football and has serious criminal consequences. West Ham United will take the strongest possible action against any individual found to be engaging in such behaviour, including potential lifetime bans and referral to the police.
The Club can also face disciplinary action if any of its supporters are found to have engaged in this behaviour, which is not representative of the West Ham United fanbase and will not be tolerated by the Club.
West Ham United provides a number of support mechanisms on matchday to ensure that supporters can report any incidents discreetly and in confidence. To report any incidents during a match, you can speak with the nearest steward or Supporter Liaison Officer, or text our new reporting number on 07701 401966. You can also contact West Ham United at [email protected]. Please provide as much information as possible, including the stand, row, seat number, description of the offender and incident.
We believe that the overwhelming majority of West Ham United supporters share these values and will work with us to continue to protect the Club’s status as an equity leader in the Premier League, a position recognised and acknowledged through our award and continuous retention of the Advanced level Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard - the League’s highest accolade attainable in this area. Anyone attending matches who does not share these values, does not share the diverse and inclusive values that West Ham United and our community stand for.
Please view our Supporter Conduct Charter for more information.
Official Programme…
Up to an incredible 132 pages for the whole of the fresh campaign, the publication remains the largest in English football and, still at just £4 per issue (plus postage if purchasing online), represents superb value for money for supporters wanting exclusive interviews, attention-grabbing opinions and eye-catching photographs.
Also offering the regular news, columns, statistics and insightful content from across all areas of the Club, the Official Programme is the definitive Claret and Blue publication for West Ham fans.
Our first issue this season is led by an exclusive interview with our new England international defender Kyle Walker-Peters, as well as exciting new Q&A features with Ollie Scarles and Wes Foderingham.
We have Jarrod Bowen's captain's column and words from Head Coach Graham Potter, while we also hear from Academy of Football graduate Joe Cole, who reflects on his loan spell at Lille during 2011/12.
Comedian Liam Withnail discusses how he became a fully-fledged member of the Claret and Blue Army, and multiple major-winning tennis champion Andy Lapthorne MBE pens the first instalment of his new comment series, 'Making a Racket'.
Alongside a look back at the first-team’s pre-season schedule, including extensive coverage of the Premier League Summer Series campaign across the USA, there is the latest news from our Academy, women’s team and Foundation, plus three pages of puzzles, a half-time quiz, stats and in-depth analysis from Analytics United as well as the lowdown on our opponents from Northern France.
Click HERE to get your copy!
Team News…
New signing Callum Wilson could make his West Ham United debut after completing his move to east London last week. El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters could also make their first West Ham appearances at London Stadium, having already featured overseas during pre-season.
LOSC Lille have made five senior signings so far this summer, with Belgian duo Arnaud Bodart and Nathan Ngoy arriving from FC Metz and Standard Liège respectively.
In attack, wingers Marius Broholm and Félix Correia provide creativity and flair, while France’s all-time leading scorer, Olivier Giroud - who has featured for Arsenal and Chelsea - returned to French football after a 13-year absence when he joined from Los Angeles FC in July.
Opposition…
Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC) was formed in September 1944, but the club’s origins date back to the very start of the 20th century.
SC Fives were formed in 1901, with Olympique Lillois being founded the following year. The latter won the domestic double in 1914 and the Championnat de France in 1933, while Fives finished as runners-up in 1934.
A decade later, weakened by the effects of the Second World War, the two clubs merged, giving birth to the new club, which was initially called Stade Lillois before changing to its current name a few weeks later.
LOSC enjoyed immediate success, reaching the 1945 Coupe de France final - losing to RC Paris - before doing the double in 1946 and winning the Coupe de France in 1947 and 1948, and finishing as Division Nationale runners-up four years in a row between 1948-51.
A fourth Coupe de France followed in 1953 and a second Division Nationale title in 1954, but the club then fell into a period of decline, suffering relegation in 1956, then losing its professional status in the 1960s.
After regaining professional status, the 1970s saw a rollercoaster of promotions and relegations, while the club’s financial situation remained precarious.
In 1980, LOSC became a mixed economy company, with the city of Lille becoming its majority shareholder and the club becoming publicly owned. While the club’s future was guaranteed, success remained difficult to come by, with the 1980s and 1990s producing a succession of mid-table finishes.
Another financial crisis and relegation almost pushed the club out of existence in 1997, but again LOSC re-emerged and were promoted as Division 2 champions in 2000.
Under chairman Michel Seydoux, Lille qualified for the UEFA Champions League in 2001, then coach Claude Puel led them to notable European victories over Manchester United and AC Milan.
Puel’s successor Rudi Garcia then led Lille to an unforgettable domestic double in 2011 with a squad led by homegrown heroes Eden Hazard and Yohan Cabaye, and prolific African forwards Moussa Sow and Gervinho.
The opening of the publicly funded 50,000-capacity Grand Stade Lille Métropole in 2012 further solidified LOSC’s position as one of France’s leading clubs.
The arrival of José Fonte from West Ham United, along with a series of superb signings, saw Lille thrive under Christophe Galtier between 2017-21, climaxing with a fourth French title in 2021.
The presence of Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Monaco, and the emergence of Nice, Strasbourg and Lens, means Lille will struggle to dominate the French game again, but their position among the country’s leading clubs appears assured.
Previous Meetings…
This pre-season fixture will be the first-ever meeting between West Ham United and Lille, but there are historic links between the two clubs. Hammer of the Year winners Joe Cole and Dimitri Payet have played for both, as have Morgan Amalfitano, José Fonte and Youssef Sofiane.
West Ham have faced French opposition on ten previous occasions in the Club’s history, with the first in 1924, when Syd King and his players crossed the Channel to face the France Olympic XI in a warm-up fixture for the Paris Summer Games.
In the ensuing 101 years, the Hammers have welcomed Marseille to east London and travelled to France to face Lens (twice), Bordeaux (twice) and Rennes in friendly matches, faced Valenciennes in the United States, Angers in Austria, defeated Metz in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup final and knocked Lyon out of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in style in 2022.
Match Officials…
Referee: Darren England
Assistant Referees: Matthew Wilkes and Craig Taylor
Fourth Official: Lewis Smith
Darren England has been confirmed as Saturday's referee.
The Leeds Beckett University graduate’s refereeing journey began in 2012 when he joined Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) as a FIFA and Premier League assistant referee.
Three years later, the 39-year-old was named on the National League list of officials ahead of the 2015/16 season, meaning he officiated in the Football League, before he was promoted to the PGMOL’s Select Group 2 prior to 2017/18.
Then, in August 2020, England - who was fourth official in May’s FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City - became part of the PGMOL’s Select Group 1, ahead of being added to the FIFA list of International Match Officials in 2022.
England’s first time refereeing West Ham United saw the Hammers, then managed by David Moyes, run out 4-1 winners away at Watford in December 2021. The Irons found themselves 2-1 ahead thanks to quick-fire goals from Tomáš Souček and Saïd Benrahma, before England - after a VAR check - gave the visitors a penalty in the 59th minute for a foul on Jarrod Bowen, which Mark Noble duly dispatched. Nikola Vlašić rounded off the scoring in second-half stoppage time that afternoon at Vicarage Road.
More recently, England oversaw last season’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion in April and a narrow 1-0 loss against Brentford at London Stadium in February.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
