Australian rules football in France is played in both league and cup based formats. As of the 2017/2018 season there are eight clubs based in Paris (2 teams), Bordeaux, Perpignan, Toulouse, Blagnac, Lyon, and Cergy-Pontoise that compete in the national league. The Commission Nationale de Football Australien (CNFA) is the official governing body for Australian Football in France. In addition to the teams that compete in the national league, there are a number of other teams either in formation or playing in friendly and cup matches, these teams are located in Strasbourg, Bayonne, Montpellier, Lille and Antony. There are four tournaments held annually, the national league known as the French National Championship ("Championnat National") and three cup competitions; the French Cup ("Coupe de France"), North Cup ("Coupe du Nord") and South Cup ("Coupe du Sud"). The French men's national team's highest placing was 2nd at the 2022 AFL Europe Championship, 2nd at the 2013 EU Cup Australian rules football and 10th at the 2017 Australian Football International Cup. Bordeaux hosted the EU Cup in 2013 and 2017. History Australian rules football was played by Australian armed forces at Poperinge in 1916, one of the star players was Checker Hughes who served prior to his VFL career. A match was also recorded as being played in Le Havre. On 20 November 1916 the French newspaper, , published a version of a photograph that had been taken during the 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game in London of a large pack of players contesting for a mark, under the title "Les Australiens guerriers et sportifs" ('The Australian Warriors and Sportsmen'). Australian football was first shown in France on Canal+ television in the 1980s. Aussie Rules had been played sporadically in the 1990s by clubs in Paris and Normandy, with the formation of the first club, Houquetot in Normandy. With the support of the Australian embassy, the club became the Montivilliers in 1998 and was nicknamed "Tasmania" in reference to the Australian state. The first game was played against Australians in 1998, but the club disappeared the following year. it wasn't until 2003-04 when the first stable teams began to appear, the first two being the primarily Australian-expat based Paris Cockerels and the mainly French Strasbourg Kangaroos. The first footy match on record between two 100% French teams was played in Strasbourg on 3 December 2005, with the hometown Kangaroos defeating the Senlis Razorbacks 91–17.