AJ Auxerre opens its French Ligue 1 season against RC Lens on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Lens, France, in the league’s first regular-season matchup. Kickoff is set for 11:05 a.m. ET at Stade Bollaert-Delelis, and fans in Canada can watch on beIN SPORTS DRM (Canada), beIN SPORTS En Español DRM (Canada) or stream it on Fubo.
The game lands on a day when both clubs have something to prove. RC Lens begins from a very different place after finishing No. 2 with 70 points, six behind Paris Saint-Germain and nine ahead of Lille, while also booking an appearance in the upcoming UEFA Champions League. AJ Auxerre, by contrast, finished No. 15 with 34 points, two places and 10 points away from relegation to Ligue 2.
Kévin Danois is the face of that reset for AJ Auxerre. The France U-21 midfielder leads the side into the new season, and the opening test could tell a lot about how far the club has come since narrowly avoiding the drop. A strong showing at Stade Bollaert-Delelis would give Auxerre an early marker against one of the league’s most accomplished teams from last season.
That is also what makes the matchup harder to read than the table alone suggests. RC Lens arrives with the weight of a second-place finish and a Champions League campaign ahead, but opening weekends can flatten those differences fast if the favorite is not sharp. Auxerre’s job is simpler on paper: survive the first hour, stay in the game and give Danois and the rest of the side a chance to turn a difficult trip into a statement.
Lens does not wait long for its next league test, with Strasbourg visiting the Stade de la Meinau on Aug. 29. AJ Auxerre’s next step comes next Saturday afternoon against Angers at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps, which means Saturday’s trip is not only the season opener but the first chance to set a tone that could travel with both clubs into the weeks ahead.
