The Ligue 1 French football team Nantes plays its home games at the Stade de la Beaujoire. It opened in 1984 with a game between Romania and Nantes for 30,000 people. The Louis Fonteneau; part of its name comes from the name of the former President of the team between 1969 and 1086.

It underwent renovation work in 1998, so it could be used in the FIFA World Cup of the same year. Although it had a much larger capacity of 52,923, it was reduced in that same year when it became an all-seater venue.

Aside from Nantes games, it has hosted several major international games, including some matches during the UEFA Euro 1984 championship, including the particularly noteworthy game between France and Belgium in which France won 5-0, and Michel Platini scored a hattrick. It was then used for the FIFA World Cup in 1998, hosting 6 games, including the quarter-final match between Denmark and Brazil.