Will the Vélodrome even be full for OM-PSG? The question would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. Yet, just hours before Sunday night's Classique, broadcast at 20:45 pm on Ligue 1+, tickets are still available for a match that is traditionally in high demand.
The symbolism is almost too fitting for the sporting reality. OM-PSG remains a major fixture, a clash between two cities and two sets of fans, a match Marseille still dreams of winning. But the sporting rivalry itself has long since vanished. Paris has amassed titles, overwhelmingly dominates head-to-head encounters, and has just won two consecutive Champions Leagues. Marseille hasn't lifted a single trophy since 2012.
The start of the season further highlights the contrast. On the eve of Le Classique, PSG returned to winning ways in the league while OM remains seven points behind the leaders . Marseille has also just suffered a heavy European defeat, thrashed 4-1 in Istanbul by Besiktas.
43 trophies for Paris since Marseille stopped winning a single one
Olympique de Marseille's last trophy dates back to April 14, 2012. Didier Deschamps' team beat Lyon 1-0 after extra time in the Coupe de la Ligue final, thanks to Brandão's goal. It was OM's third consecutive Coupe de la Ligue title.
Since then, nothing. Marseille hasn't been champion since 2010 and has been waiting for fourteen years to lift a trophy again. Lost finals, European qualifications, coaching changes, and new projects have followed one another without adding a single line to their record.
Paris has experienced the exact opposite. Since Marseille's last title, PSG has won 43 official trophies , including 12 French championships , 8 French Cups, 6 League Cups and 12 Champions Trophies.
Above all, Paris has changed its dimension on the international stage. After winning its first Champions League in 2025 against Inter Milan , the capital club retained its European title in 2026 , becoming the first French club to win the competition twice.
And Paris didn't stop there. In 2025, PSG won its first UEFA Super Cup, defeating Tottenham on penalties. A year later, the Parisian club beat Aston Villa 2-1 and won a second consecutive UEFA Super Cup , a feat achieved by only a handful of European clubs before them.
Between these two European triumphs, Paris also added a world trophy to its collection. In December 2025, PSG became the first French club to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, defeating Flamengo on penalties , with Matvey Safonov scoring the decisive penalty.
The record since April 2012 is therefore terrible for Marseille: PSG 43, OM 0. While OM is still waiting to lift a cup again, Paris has won in France, conquered the Champions League twice, won two European Super Cups and added a FIFA Intercontinental Cup to its record.
Paris is now accumulating European and world trophies while Marseille is still waiting for its first title in 14 years.
Three Marseille victories in 34 Classiques since OM's last trophy
The power imbalance becomes even more striking when considering the entire period since Marseille's last trophy. Since April 14, 2012, OM and PSG have faced each other 34 times in official competitions. Marseille has won only three of these matches.
The first victory didn't come until September 13, 2020, with the famous 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes . Then, fans had to wait until February 8, 2023, to see Marseille beat Paris again, 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de France. OM were eliminated in the following round by Annecy. Finally, on September 22, 2025, Marseille took advantage of a severely weakened PSG to win 1-0 at the Vélodrome . These are the only three Marseille victories against Paris since OM won their last trophy.
At the same time, PSG has won 26 of these encounters in regulation time. And Paris also won the Trophée des Champions last January against Marseille, on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Including this trophy won by Paris, the record becomes even more striking: 27 Classiques won by PSG compared to only three by OM out of the 34 played since Marseille's last title. This dominance has lasted for almost 14 years.
And the defeats have piled up: 5-1 at the Vélodrome in 2017, 4-0 at the Parc in 2019, 3-0 in Marseille in 2023, 4-0 a few months later, 3-0 at the Vélodrome in 2024 and finally 5-0 at the Parc in February 2026, the biggest victory in the history of the Classique.
At this level, the word "rivalry" still perfectly describes the history, the atmosphere in the stands, and the opposition between Paris and Marseille. It describes the sporting reality much less accurately. Three wins in 34 matches for OM since 2012: for a long time now, the Classique has been more about a club dreaming of dethroning Paris against a PSG that dominates its former rival than a contest between two equally matched opponents.
OM's only recent victory came against a decimated PSG side.
Marseille's victory last September was still a win, but not a prestigious one. The match had been postponed by 24 hours due to bad weather and rescheduled for the evening of the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Paris Saint-Germain was severely weakened. Ousmane Dembélé , Désiré Doué, João Neves, and Bradley Barcola were all unavailable. Dembélé, Doué, and Neves, all injured, were at the Théâtre du Châtelet, where Dembélé was to receive the Ballon d'Or. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi had also chosen to attend the ceremony.
PSG fielded Hakimi, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz, and Kvaratskhelia, and Marseille took full advantage to win 1-0. However, this victory remains OM's only win in the last eight Ligue 1 Classiques.
Five months later, Paris corrects Marseille
On February 8, 2026, the return match at the Parc des Princes demonstrated the enormous gap between the two teams. PSG humiliated Marseille 5-0.
This defeat adds to an already heavy series: 5-1 at the Vélodrome in 2017, 4-0 at the Parc in 2019, 3-0 in Marseille in 2023, 4-0 a few months later, then 2-0, 3-0, 3-1 and finally 5-0.
Marseille's defeats against Paris are no longer isolated accidents. Some regularly turn into demonstrations of strength.
Even in Marseille, the observation is no longer really taboo.
The idea that OM and PSG are no longer in the same league is not new. As early as 2014, Dimitri Payet , who has never managed to win a trophy, already acknowledged: "We're not in the same league as PSG."
Twelve years later, the formula seems even more true. Paris continued to win in France before conquering Europe twice. Marseille, meanwhile, is still waiting for its first trophy since 2012.
After the 5-0 defeat last February, Éric Di Meco himself criticized OM and some of its players , stating in particular: "I think we oversold a lot of players on this team."
Among former players and many Marseille supporters, the observation has become difficult to dispute: OM can beat Paris in a single match, but the two clubs are no longer on the same level. A victory against PSG remains a source of immense joy in Marseille, precisely because it has become so rare.
Paris plays to reign over Europe, Marseille dreams of finally winning something
The objectives of both clubs are now enough to measure the gap. Paris has just won two consecutive Champions Leagues and is building its seasons to remain at the top of European football. PSG is now competing against Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
Marseille is still looking to regain a presence in the Champions League and, above all, to win its first trophy since 2012.
Olympique de Marseille remains a monument of French football. Its history, its fans, its Vélodrome stadium, and its 1993 Champions League victory give it a special place. But that is no longer enough to make the club a sporting rival of today's Paris Saint-Germain.
Even the Vélodrome seems to have understood that this Classique had changed.
This is perhaps the most striking symbol before Sunday's match. An OM-PSG game is coming to the Vélodrome and, just hours before kickoff, the question of whether the stadium will be completely full still remains.
The Classique remains a unique event. The chants, the tifos, the banter, and the rivalry between supporters haven't disappeared. But on the pitch, recent history has become almost entirely one-sided.
43 trophies to 0 since 2012. Three Marseille victories in fourteen years. 21 goals to 2 in the last eight Ligue 1 Classiques. A 5-0 win seven months ago. Two consecutive Champions League titles for Paris while Marseille is still waiting for its next trophy.
And now this question, once almost inconceivable before an OM-PSG match: will the Vélodrome even be full tonight? The rivalry between Paris and Marseille remains immense in the stands and in people's memories. But on the pitch, it disappeared long ago.
