Albi

Albi is the prefecture of the Tarn department, in the Occitanie region of south-western France, on the banks of the River Tarn. Its old town, the 'Episcopal City of Albi', has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, dominated by the imposing Sainte-Cécile cathedral — the largest brick cathedral in the world — and the Pont Vieux. Birthplace of the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, this city of around 52,000 people combines first-rank heritage with an intense sporting life.

Sport is a central axis of Albi, with a remarkable associative fabric: some 155 associations and clubs bringing together close to 18,000 registered members. Its emblem is rugby — the Sporting Club Albigeois (SC Albi), founded in 1906, plays at the Stadium Municipal, which holds more than 13,000 — alongside a motor-racing tradition at the Circuit d'Albi and a municipal policy geared to sport for all: nature, women's sport, inclusion and physical activity at every age.

Following a visit by the European jury in June 2025, ACES named Albi European City of Sport 2026, a recognition of its sports policy and its commitment to sport for all its citizens. With this designation, Albi joins the European network of ACES cities that celebrate sport as an engine of health, community and inclusion.