Olympique de Marseille was founded on 31 August 1899, making it one of the oldest football clubs in France. Based in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, the club has played at the Stade Vélodrome (since 2016 known as the Orange Vélodrome) since 1937, with major expansion for the 1998 and 2016 international tournaments bringing capacity to over 67,000.
Marseille's defining moment came on 26 May 1993, when L'OM became the first — and to this day only — French club to win the UEFA Champions League. Raymond Goethals' side, captained by Didier Deschamps and featuring Marcel Desailly, Jean-Pierre Papin, Rudi Völler and Abedi Pelé, defeated AC Milan 1-0 in Munich through Basile Boli's header. The 1992-93 season also delivered the Ligue 1 title under controversial owner Bernard Tapie. Tragically, the title was later stripped due to a match-fixing scandal that engulfed the club, leading to forced relegation to Ligue 2 — though the European Cup was retained.
The Tapie era preceded a wider golden run: nine Ligue 1 titles (most recently 2009-10), ten Coupe de France triumphs, and three Coupe de la Ligue successes. Marseille reached the UEFA Cup final in 1999 (lost to Parma) and 2004 (lost to Valencia). American owner Frank McCourt took over in 2016. The fierce Le Classique against Paris Saint-Germain — France's biggest fixture, contested between the country's two largest cities — and the Choc des Olympiques against Saint-Étienne define Marseille's rivalries. The "Allez l'OM" chant and the passionate, sometimes chaotic Vélodrome atmosphere are core to the club's identity.