Les Marseillaises

Lore & Background

Olympique de Marseille was already active in women's football in the 1920s, making it one of the few active women's teams that took part in its original incarnation in pioneering the game in the interwar period. The team disappeared in the 1930s along with other women's teams of the time, but was reactivated when French women's football competitions returned in the 1970s. From 1975 it took part in the French championship, reaching the semifinals in 1979, but was relegated in 1983 and disappeared three years later.

In the 2011–12 season, Olympique de Marseille created its women's team for the third time. It reached the second tier in the 2014–15 season and made its debut in the top tier in the 2016–17 season, finishing in 4th position. On 12 September 2025, the club announced that its women's section would be known going forward as Les Marseillaises, with a new emblem inspired by the statue of 'La Marseillaise'.

Reader's Guide

Les Marseillaises represent the latest incarnation of Olympique de Marseille's women's football section, a club with a notable history in the development of women's football in France. The original team was active in the 1920s, a pioneering era for women's football, but disappeared in the 1930s. The club's reactivation in the 1970s and its participation in the French championship from 1975, including a semifinal appearance in 1979, highlights its role in the revival of women's football after the war. Although the team was relegated in 1983 and dissolved three years later, its third creation in the 2011–12 season led to a steady climb through the divisions, reaching the top tier in 2016–17 and achieving a 4th-place finish. The rebranding to Les Marseillaises in 2025, with a new emblem tied to the French Revolution, marks a distinct identity for the women's section while maintaining the OM crest on shirts. The club's persistence across multiple eras underscores its significance in the history of French women's football.

Did You Know?

• The team reached the championship semifinals in 1979.
• The women's section was rebranded as Les Marseillaises on 12 September 2025.