Stade Brestois 29 coach Eric Roy dies at age 58 after battle with pancreatic cancer
The French manager who guided Brest to their first-ever Champions League qualification has passed away after a three-and-a-half-year fight with the disease
Eric Roy, the manager who transformed Stade Brestois 29 from Ligue 1 underdogs into Champions League participants, has died at the age of 58. Roy passed away on June 17, 2026, after battling pancreatic cancer for approximately three and a half years.
A tenure defined by defying the odds
Roy took charge of Brest on January 3, 2023. During the 2023-24 season, Roy guided Brest to a third-place finish in Ligue 1, securing qualification for the UEFA Champions League in the 2024-25 season — something the club had never achieved before.
He was named French Manager of the Year for the 2023-24 season. Over his full tenure at the club, Roy’s managerial record stood at 60 wins, 33 draws, and 49 losses across 142 matches.
From player to manager
Roy accumulated over 400 professional appearances across a career that took him through Nice, Lyon, and Marseille, as well as a stint at Sunderland in England.
The weight of the diagnosis
Roy’s battle with pancreatic cancer lasted roughly three and a half years, meaning he was fighting the disease during the very period when he was delivering the best results of his managerial career, including Brest’s Champions League qualification.