The Velodrome Stadium is set to break a attendance record for a women’s football match.
The 19th matchday of the French Women’s Professional Football League is a special one this Saturday. Dubbed “Au Stade pour Elles,” it will take place entirely in the major football stadiums in France. The operation, organized by the Professional Women’s Football League, allows the women’s teams of professional clubs to take over the stadiums usually reserved for the men’s teams for the day.
The standout number of the day comes from Marseille. Over 50,000 spectators are expected at the Velodrome Stadium for the match between Marseille and Montpellier, marking the first appearance of the Marseille women’s team in this stadium. Access is mostly free. This level of attendance would shatter the historical attendance record of the French Women’s Professional Football League, set on November 16, 2019, with 30,661 spectators at the Groupama Stadium for OL Lyonnes versus Paris SG.
The match also has direct sporting significance: a Marseille victory, combined with a defeat for Saint-Etienne against Lens at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, would secure Marseille’s stay in the league, after they were promoted last season. At the Beaujoire stadium, over 13,000 people are expected for the match between FC Nantes and Paris SG, a clash between the leader and the third-placed team in the standings. The LFFP indicates that half of the top twenty attendance records in the league’s history have been set since the creation of the professional league in July 2024.
The day also includes an awareness component against gender-based violence, with information stands in the stadiums, the wearing of an armband “Au Stade pour Elles” by captains and referees, and activations in partnership with the associations Her Game Too, Graines de Footballeuses, and Little Miss Soccer.
The Top 10 Attendances of the French Women’s Professional Football League (before this 19th matchday):
– OL Lyonnes versus Paris SG (11/16/2019 at the Groupama Stadium) = 30,661 spectators – OL Lyonnes versus Paris SG (04/13/2019 at the Groupama Stadium) = 25,907 spectators – OL Lyonnes versus Paris SG (02/11/2024 at the Groupama Stadium) = 21,764 spectators – Paris SG versus OL Lyonnes (01/18/2025 at the Parc des Princes) = 20,489 spectators – Paris SG versus OL Lyonnes (05/21/2023 at the Parc des Princes) = 18,876 spectators – Nantes versus Olympique de Marseille (12/14/2025 at the Beaujoire) = 17,491 spectators – Nantes versus Paris SG (10/12/2024 at the Beaujoire) = 16,847 spectators – Paris SG versus OL Lyonnes (10/01/2023 at the Parc des Princes) = 15,899 spectators – OL Lyonnes versus Paris SG (11/03/2024 at the Groupama Stadium) = 15,386 spectators – Paris SG versus OL Lyonnes (02/01/2026 at the Parc des Princes) = 14,070 spectators
