The Stade Vélodrome is located in Marseille, France and is home to Ligue 1 side Olympique de Marseille and some games for RC Toulon along with the French National rugby team and the French National football team.
Table of Contents
Stadium Guide by Rugby Tripper
History
The ground has a capacity of 67,394 following numerous renovations in 1984, 1998 and 2014 which followed their opening in 1937. Facilities of the stadium include 258 seats of disabled seating, a press gallery, VIP hall, Offices, a TV studio and big screens. It is the second biggest stadium in France after the Stade de France.
Two FIFA World Cups have played matches at the Stade Vélodrome with two games in the 1938 World Cup and seven games in the 1998 World Cup. It has also held games in three different UEFA European Championships in 1960, 1984 and 2016. The 2016 edition of the tournament saw England, Russia, France, Albania, Iceland, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, Portugal and Germany all play in the stadium.
In 2007, the Stade Vélodrome hosted 4 pool games and 2 quarterfinals in the Rugby World Cup. Both semifinals of the 2010/11 Top 14 campaign were played at the Stade Vélodrome where Toulouse beat Clermont and Montpellier beat Racing Métro. The 2013/14 Heineken Cup semifinal was also held at the ground which saw Toulon advance to the final by beating Munster 24-16.
Three Rugby League World Cup matches have taken place at the ground between the years of 1954 and 1975 with France taking on New Zealand twice and Australia taking on New Zealand.
France have played 14 rugby league test matches at the Stade Vélodrome between the years of 1938 and 1985. They’ve played against the likes of New Zealand, Great Britain, Wales, Australia, England and the “other Nationalities” rugby league team who are an outfit consisting of European rugby league players.