Marseille Quiz Questions and Answers

44 Marseille questions in rounds of ten, with the answers kept separate so you can read them out. Free to use for a pub quiz, a matchday WhatsApp group or your own revision — no sign-up, and the page prints cleanly.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5

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Round 1

  1. In which year was Olympique de Marseille founded?
  2. In which French city is Olympique de Marseille based?
  3. At which stadium does Marseille play its home matches?
  4. In which year did Marseille become the first French club to win the European Cup / Champions League?
  5. Which club did Marseille defeat in the 1993 Champions League final?
  6. Who scored the only goal of Marseille's 1993 Champions League final win?
  7. What colour are Marseille's traditional home shirts?
  8. Marseille's fiercest rivalry, known as 'Le Classique', is contested against which club?
  9. Chelsea signed Didier Drogba in 2004 from which club?
  10. Franck Ribéry left Marseille in 2007 to join which club?
Answers — round 1
  1. 1899 — Marseille was founded on 31 August 1899 by René Dufaure de Montmirail, taking its name from the ancient Olympic Games.
  2. Marseille — The club is based in Marseille, France's second-largest city and its main Mediterranean port.
  3. Stade Vélodrome — Marseille moved into the Stade Vélodrome in 1937; it now holds around 67,000 spectators.
  4. 1993 — Marseille beat AC Milan 1-0 in the 1993 final; PSG became the second French winner in 2025.
  5. AC Milan — A Basile Boli header gave Marseille a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Munich.
  6. Basile Boli — Defender Basile Boli headed home just before half-time against AC Milan in Munich.
  7. White — Marseille wear predominantly white with sky-blue trim, colours taken from the city's flag.
  8. PSG — Marseille versus Paris Saint-Germain is billed as province against capital, south against north.
  9. Marseille — Drogba spent one prolific season at Marseille before a £24m move to Chelsea in 2004.
  10. Bayern Munich — Bayern Munich paid a then club-record fee to sign Ribéry from Marseille in 2007.

Round 2

  1. Marseille are nicknamed 'Les Phocéens' in reference to what?
  2. Which flamboyant businessman was Marseille's president during its dominant early-1990s era?
  3. Who managed Marseille to their 1993 Champions League triumph?
  4. Marseille lost the 1991 European Cup final to which club?
  5. How was the 1991 European Cup final between Marseille and Red Star Belgrade decided?
  6. Which Marseille striker won the 1991 Ballon d'Or?
  7. Josip Skoblar set a Ligue 1 single-season scoring record with Marseille in 1970-71 — how many goals?
  8. Who is Marseille's all-time leading goalscorer, with 194 goals?
  9. Which goalkeeper holds Marseille's record for most appearances?
  10. Who captained Marseille to the 1993 Champions League title and later managed the club to the 2010 league title?
Answers — round 2
  1. The ancient Greeks who founded the city — The city was founded by Greek settlers from Phocaea around 600 BC, giving the club its 'Phocéens' nickname.
  2. Bernard Tapie — Bernard Tapie bankrolled Marseille's golden era before the 1993 match-fixing scandal ended it.
  3. Raymond Goethals — Belgian coach Raymond Goethals, nicknamed 'Raymond-la-Science', led Marseille past AC Milan in Munich.
  4. Red Star Belgrade — Red Star Belgrade beat Marseille on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Bari.
  5. A penalty shoot-out after 0-0 — After 120 goalless minutes in Bari, Red Star won the shoot-out 5-3; Manuel Amoros missed for Marseille.
  6. Jean-Pierre Papin — Jean-Pierre Papin became the first France-based player to win the Ballon d'Or, in 1991.
  7. 44 — Skoblar's 44 goals in 1970-71 won the European Golden Boot and remain a Ligue 1 record.
  8. Gunnar Andersson — Swedish striker Gunnar Andersson scored 194 goals in the 1950s, ahead of Papin and Skoblar.
  9. Steve Mandanda — Steve Mandanda made over 600 appearances across two spells, passing Roger Scotti's long-standing club record.
  10. Didier Deschamps — Didier Deschamps lifted the 1993 trophy as captain, then returned as coach to win Ligue 1 in 2010.

Round 3

  1. Marseille's 2010 Ligue 1 title ended a title drought of how many years?
  2. Which England winger did Marseille sign from Tottenham in 1989?
  3. Which club did Éric Cantona join in 1988 for a then French record transfer fee?
  4. Following the 1993 match-fixing scandal, Marseille were stripped of which season's Ligue 1 title?
  5. Marseille lost the 1999 UEFA Cup final to which Italian club?
  6. In Didier Drogba's only season, Marseille lost the 2004 UEFA Cup final to which club?
  7. Marseille lost the 2018 Europa League final to which club?
  8. The 2018 Europa League final, which Marseille lost, was staged in which French city?
  9. Marseille broke their transfer record in January 2023 to sign striker Vitinha from which club?
  10. Which American businessman bought Marseille in 2016?
Answers — round 3
  1. 18 — The 2010 crown under Didier Deschamps was Marseille's first league title since 1992 — 18 years.
  2. Chris Waddle — Chris Waddle joined Marseille from Spurs in 1989 for around £4.5m and became a Vélodrome idol.
  3. Marseille — Cantona signed for Marseille in 1988, though loan spells and clashes followed before he left France.
  4. 1992-93 — Marseille won the 1992-93 title on the pitch but were stripped of it; PSG declined it, so no champion is listed.
  5. Parma — Parma won 3-0 in the Moscow final, their side featuring Buffon, Cannavaro and Crespo.
  6. Valencia — Valencia won 2-0 in Gothenburg; Marseille keeper Fabien Barthez was sent off in the final.
  7. Atlético Madrid — Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atlético Madrid won 3-0.
  8. Lyon — The final was held at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon — painful ground for Marseille to lose on.
  9. Braga — Vitinha cost about €32m from Braga, eclipsing the €30m paid for Dimitri Payet in 2017.
  10. Frank McCourt — Frank McCourt, former owner of the LA Dodgers, bought Marseille for around €45m in October 2016.

Round 4

  1. Who founded Olympique de Marseille in 1899?
  2. What is Marseille's club motto?
  3. Marseille's blue and white colours are taken from what?
  4. How many times has Marseille won the Coupe de France?
  5. How many French top-flight titles is Marseille officially credited with?
  6. Marseille won four consecutive French league titles across which span?
  7. Which Argentine coach took charge of Marseille in 2014?
  8. Which Ghanaian playmaker was a star of Marseille's great early-1990s side?
  9. Marseille won the league-and-Coupe-de-France double in 1972 and again in which year?
  10. In which league does Marseille compete?
Answers — round 4
  1. René Dufaure de Montmirail — René Dufaure de Montmirail founded the club in 1899; its motto 'Droit Au But' dates from those early days.
  2. Droit Au But — 'Droit Au But' — 'Straight to the Goal' — dates from the club's early rugby-playing days.
  3. The city's flag — The white and blue derive from the flag of the city of Marseille.
  4. 10 — Marseille have lifted the Coupe de France 10 times, the first coming in 1924.
  5. 9 — Marseille have nine recognised titles (last in 2010); a tenth, from 1992-93, was stripped.
  6. 1989-1992 — Under Bernard Tapie, Marseille won the title every year from 1989 to 1992.
  7. Marcelo Bielsa — Marcelo Bielsa managed Marseille in 2014-15, energising the side before a late-season fade.
  8. Abedi Pelé — Abedi 'Pelé' Ayew orchestrated Marseille's attack and was part of the 1993 European Cup-winning squad.
  9. 1989 — Marseille completed the domestic double in both 1972 and 1989.
  10. Ligue 1 — Marseille play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football.

Round 5

  1. In which year did Marseille move into the Stade Vélodrome?
  2. Under Didier Deschamps, Marseille won three consecutive editions of which competition from 2010 to 2012?
  3. Which manager led Marseille to the 2018 Europa League final?
  4. Marseille won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in which year?
Answers — round 5
  1. 1937 — The Vélodrome was inaugurated in 1937 and later renovated for the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2016.
  2. Coupe de la Ligue — Marseille won the League Cup (Coupe de la Ligue) three years running from 2010 to 2012.
  3. Rudi Garcia — Rudi Garcia guided Marseille to the 2018 final, where they lost 3-0 to Atlético Madrid.
  4. 2005 — Marseille won the Intertoto Cup in 2005; the competition was abolished in 2008.

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