Orange Vélodrome

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Lore & Background

The first-ever match to be played was between Marseille and Torino in 1937. The stadium opened on 13 June 1937, when a friendly match ended 2–1 to Olympique Marseille. On 29 August 1937, the first official match took place between OM and Cannes. As its name suggests, Stade Vélodrome was used for cycling competitions but as these races became less common, seating replaced the track which circled the stadium. The Vélodrome remained famous for fans of OM since the sloped track which was under the extended seating acted as a slide to invade the pitch at the end of matches. Olympique de Marseille was long hostile to the Stade Vélodrome, calling it the 'stadium of the City Council'. After World War II, Marseille no longer owned the Stadium Huveaune. Chairman Marcel Leclerc had OM play at Huveaune from 1945 to 1960. The City Council then relented, and Olympique de Marseille moved to the Vélodrome. During the 1970s, OM shared the Stade with the Marseille XIII Rugby League.

In Their Own Story

The record attendance for a club game before the 2014 renovation at the Stade Vélodrome was 58,897 in a UEFA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United in 2004. Since expansion to 67,394, the record attendance at the ground now stands at 66,312 for the match against Montpellier USC that occurred on 19 April 2025. The French rugby union team began an impressive run of victories at the stadium in the early 2000s. They defeated New Zealand 42–33 in November 2000, and in 2001 defeated Australia by one point. They beat South Africa in 2002, followed by a win over England in 2003. However, their run of luck was broken in 2004 when they lost 14–24 to Argentina. The venue was used by France for a game against New Zealand in November 2009. In 2018, the stadium hosted its first Six Nations match with France hosting Italy. On 28 May 2022, The Velodrome hosted the 2022 European Rugby Champions Cup Final between La Rochelle v Leinster in front of 59,682 spectators.

Reader's Guide

The stadium is four kilometres from the Old Port of Marseille, in the neighbourhoods of Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Giniez in the southern part of Marseille. It is bound to the south by the Huveaune river and to the north by the Parc Chanot and the headquarters of regional public TV station, France 3 Provence-Alpes. To its west runs the Boulevard Michelet and to the east the Marseille Palais des Sports and the Delort stadium. The Vélodrome is serviced by the bus and metro networks of the Régie des transports de Marseille. The four stands in the stadium are named after athletes (runner Jean Bouin and 1920s cyclist Gustave Ganay), a historical figure of the 1720 plague epidemic (Chevalier Roze) and a popular Olympique de Marseille supporter (Patrice De Peretti, nicknamed 'Depe', who died suddenly in July 2000).

Did You Know?

• The Stade Vélodrome opened on 13 June 1937 with a friendly match between Olympique Marseille and Torino FC, which ended 2–1 to Marseille.
• The record attendance for a club game before the 2014 renovation was 58,897 for a UEFA Cup semi-final against Newcastle United in 2004.
• Since expansion to 67,394, the record attendance stands at 66,312 for the match against Montpellier USC on 19 April 2025.
• On 16 July 2009, during preparations for a Madonna concert, a 60-ton roof fell, leaving two dead and eight wounded.
• In 2016, the stadium became the first in Europe to have hosted three European Championship semi-finals (1960, 1984, 2016).