Olympique de Marseille will indeed play in the 2026-2027 Europa League. The club from Marseille avoided immediate exclusion, but emerged heavily sanctioned from its hearing before the European financial watchdog. OM received a total fine of €10 million and a suspended ban from European competition.
Marseille secures its place in the Europa League
The decision was awaited with concern. Having qualified for the next Europa League, Olympique de Marseille (OM) risked a sanction that could have included exclusion from the competition. The Marseille club ultimately retains its place for the 2026-2027 season. This European participation, however, remains subject to certain conditions. OM is being sanctioned for failing to meet its financial targets, as stipulated in the agreement reached with the European body responsible for club financial control. The club did not comply with the rule regarding football revenue for the 2025-2026 financial year, which covers the accounting periods ending in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
A €10 million fine
The financial penalty is hefty: €10 million in total. It is broken down into two parts: €6 million for failing to comply with the rules on football revenue, and an additional €4 million for violating the rules on squad cost. This latter rule limits spending on player and coach salaries, transfers, and agent fees in relation to the club's football revenue. Olympique de Marseille is therefore being penalized both for its losses and for its level of sporting expenditure.
A suspended exclusion
Regarding Marseille's European future, the club is not immediately excluded, but it must absolutely reach its revenue target for the 2026-2027 season. If it fails, Marseille will be excluded from the next European competition it qualifies for within the following three seasons. In other words, Marseille can play in the 2026-2027 Europa League, but it has no room for error: another breach of the rules would trigger an immediate exclusion.
A European list with guidelines
The sanction doesn't stop at the fine and the suspended sentence. OM also faces a sporting restriction for the upcoming Europa League: the club will not be able to register any new players on its European A list. List A refers to the main squad declared for European competitions. Young players from List B can still be used under certain conditions, but OM's European squad will therefore be heavily restricted for the upcoming season.
OM under immediate pressure
Marseille retains its main objective: a European spot. But the club enters a season under scrutiny. It will have to reduce its losses, control its spending, and meet its objectives to avoid a much heavier sporting sanction.
