in the
Coupe de France in 1920. Association Sportive de Cannes was founded on 4 August 1902 by English sportsman Herbert Lowe and a group of friends. Lowe was installed as the club's president. During the infancy of the club, in addition to association football, Cannes also practised the sports of
competitive swimming and athletics. The club also wore a black and blue combination kit before switching to its current red and white stripe following the club's merger with
Club Sportif de Cannes in 1905. Under the leadership of Louis Grosso, a local furniture dealer, the football section developed its structures. In 1920, Cannes were playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the watch of the
French Football Federation (FFF). While playing in the league, Cannes developed rivalries with
Nice and
Marseille. Nice and Cannes contest the
derby match that is known as the
Derby de la Côte d'Azur. In 1921, the club inaugurated the Stade Municipal de Cannes and celebrated the opening by defeating Spanish club
Espanyol 4–0. During the 1920s, Cannes successfully reached the semi-finals of the
Coupe de France on two occasions. Led by
French internationals such as
Maurice Cottenet, Charles Bardot, and Raoul Dutheil, Cannes were regular participants in the latter rounds of the prestigious cup competition. In 1932, the club finally
won the competition after defeating
RC Roubaix 1–0 at the
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in
Colombes, courtesy of a goal from captain Louis Clerc. In July 1930, the National Council of the FFF voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Cannes, along with most clubs from the south, were among the first clubs to adopt the new statute and, subsequently, became professional and were founding members of the new league. In the
league's inaugural season, Cannes finished runner-up to champions
Olympique Lillois after losing 4–3 in the ultimate match on 14 May 1933. Cannes had originally finished second in its group behind
Antibes, but were declared champions of the group after Antibes was disqualified from the league for suspected bribery. Cannes remained in Division 1 for a decade before falling to Division 2 in the
1948–49 season after finishing last in the league table. Cannes returned to the top division for the
1965–66 season and spent a forgettable campaign in the league finishing second from bottom, thus returning to Division 2. It took another 20 years before the club returned to the first division for the
1987–88 season. During this time, Cannes had a young playmaker by the name of
Zinedine Zidane in its ranks. In the club return to the first division, Cannes finished in 11th place. In the ensuing two seasons, Cannes remained mid-table finishing 12th and 11th, respectively. However, in the
1990–91 season, the club surprised everyone by finishing in fourth place, which gave the club qualification for the
UEFA Cup. Along with Zidane, PSG loanee striker
Amara Simba and the presence of experienced players like
Luis Fernandez, Cannes overclassed many of their higher-rated counterparts. Unfortunately, in the following season, with the departure of Simba and Cannes having to combine its focus on both the league and Europe, the club finished in a disastrous 19th-place position. The club also suffered elimination in Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup. The resulting relegation led to the departure of Zidane and numerous others who were being courted by Division 1 clubs. Though the departure of Zidane and others did hurt the club, Cannes still had a solid core of players, which included veterans André Amitrano,
William Ayache,
Franck Durix, and
Adick Koot and youngsters
Johan Micoud,
Patrick Vieira,
David Jemmali and
Laurent Macquet. The group effectively lived up to club expectations by finishing second in its group in the second division. Due to having more points than the second-place finisher in the other group, Cannes were back in Division 1. In the club's return, Cannes finished in a respectable ninth-place position for the
1994–95 season under manager
Safet Sušić. The next season didn't start well, with Sušić getting sacked in September 1995. Ultimately, Cannes finished 14th that season. In the off-season heading into the
1996–97, Vieira departed the club for Italy, Durix ventured to Japan, and Ayache retired. Cannes struggled to replace the departed players and, subsequently, finished in 15th place for the season. Midway through the campaign, Micoud left the club for
Bordeaux. After the season, Jammeli followed suit and also joined Bordeaux. The resulting departure of all the club's youth talent ultimately led to its downfall with Cannes finishing last in the
1997–98 season. Since the club's relegation in 1998, Cannes have yet to return to the first division of French football. On 1 July 2014, Cannes were officially excluded from professional football in France after a ruling from the
Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion relating to the club's financial situation. For the 2015–16 season, the remnants of Cannes played in the Division of Honor, in the Mediterranean Regional League of the French football system. On June 26, 2023, it was announced that AS Cannes will become part of The Friedkin Group, which also includes
AS Roma football club. The Friedkin family will purchase a majority of the club’s shares, and Ryan Friedkin will become the new president of Association Sportive Cannes Football SAS, which will manage the National 2 men’s team. The Sports Association, which is in charge of the women's section and amateurs, will hold 2% ownership and be chaired by Anny Courtade. On 25 February 2025, Cannes reached the Semi-final of the
Coupe de France after defeating Ligue 2 club,
EA Guingamp 3-1, but lost 2–1 against
Reims. == Players ==