[8] The record attendance for a club game before 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 65,894 for the match against rivals Paris Saint-Germain that occurred on 26 February 2023.

On the 28 May 2022, The Velodrome hosted the 2022 European Rugby Champions Cup Final between La Rochelle v Leinster in front of 59,682 spectators.

On 29 June, The Velodrome will host the 2024 Top 14 Final due to the Stade de France being unavailable because of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The 20th stage of the 2017 Tour de France, an individual time trial through the streets of Marseille, started and finished in the stadium.

On 28 April 1935, the foundation stone was laid for the Vélodrome by Marseille Mayor Ribot, on a site between downtown and the suburban areas of St. Giniez and Sainte-Marguerite on military grounds belonging to the city.

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 (Olympique Marseille) 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".

[citation needed] 1970 marked the first modifications to the Vélodrome, with the replacement of the floodlights on the Ganay and Jean-Bouin tribunes by four 60 meter towers for nighttime events.

The Vélodrome hosted the final draw, which took place on 4 December 1997 (the first time the final draw was held in an outdoor venue) and seven matches, including France's first match against South Africa, the quarterfinal between Argentina and the Netherlands and the semifinal between Brazil and the Netherlands.

On 16 July 2009, during preparations for a Madonna concert, one of four winches used to hoist the structure failed; the 60-ton roof fell (leaving two dead, eight wounded and crushing a crane).

Widely criticized and unloved by the Marseillais for its architecture (no roof, exposure to strong mistral winds and poor acoustics), the Stade Vélodrome has since 2003 been the subject of several projects to modernize and enlarge it.

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).

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.

Besides several bus services operating in the area, two stations of the Marseille Metro line 2 are close to the stadium.

The total project estimate is €267 million, with €150M for the stadium and the remnant for the surrounding shopping mall, hotel and housing, the private sector to cover two-thirds of the investment; the remainder will be shared by the region, the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, MPM and the city of Marseille for 20m euros.