Rivalries give football its edge, and few stir emotion in France quite like Le Classique — the meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille.
Also known as “Le Classico” or “Le Derby de France”, the fixture takes its name from Spain’s “El Clasico”. Like its Spanish counterpart, it brings together two of the biggest, most successful and widely supported clubs in the country.
Between them, they have won 22 French top-flight titles — PSG hold a record 13, while Marseille have nine. They also remain the only two French clubs to have lifted major European trophies, a distinction that further elevates the significance of their meetings.
However, Le Classique has always been about more than silverware. The fixture is often framed as a clash between France’s two great cities — the capital versus the province. PSG are widely viewed as representing the wealth, power and institutional influence of Paris in the north, while Marseille embody working-class pride, raw passion and the rebellious spirit of the south. Over time, those cultural contrasts have given the rivalry a deeper social and even political dimension.
Although the early meetings offered little indication of what it would become, tensions began to grow in the late 1980s and truly exploded during the 1990s. Since then, Le Classique has shaped title races, sparked controversy and produced some of the most memorable moments in French football.
In this piece, we revisit how the rivalry took hold, how it evolved, and why it continues to matter so much today.
History and origin of Le Classique
Like many great rivalries, Le Classique did not begin with hostility. In its early years, it was simply a meeting between a newly formed club from the capital attempting to establish itself and a provincial giant already rich in history.
Marseille, founded in 1899, had long been one of France’s traditional powerhouses, regularly competing for honours alongside the likes of Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux. PSG, by contrast, was only formed in 1970 and was initially supporter-owned, created to give Paris a strong and unified football presence.
Early meetings between PSG and Marseille
The two sides first met on December 12, 1971, at the Stade Velodrome in Division 1, with Marseille claiming a 4-2 victory. Bernard Bosquier scored the first goal in the fixture’s history, while Josip Skoblar netted twice and Didier Couecou added another. Michel Prost scored both goals for PSG, but at that stage the encounter carried little of the intensity that would later define it.
The rivalry began to take shape in 1975 during a heated Coupe de France quarter-final. PSG secured their first-ever victory over Marseille, winning 2-0 in the return leg at the Parc des Princes after drawing the first leg at the Velodrome. The tie ended in controversy when Marseille players confronted the referee after the final whistle, leading to suspensions and adding a sharper edge to the fixture.
Other dramatic encounters followed in the late 1970s, including a commanding 5-1 PSG victory that ended a nine-match winless run against OM. In 1979, the fixture produced its highest-scoring game to date, as Les Parisiens edged a thrilling 4-3 win thanks to a late strike from Carlos Bianchi.
Meetings became less frequent when Marseille were relegated to Division 2, remaining there until their return to the top flight in 1985. Once they were back, however, the rivalry entered a completely new phase — one driven not only by sporting ambition but also by media influence, financial power and political undertones.
The birth of Le Classique: Where the rivalry truly ignited
The year 1986 marked the true birth of Le Classique as a fierce national rivalry. PSG had just won their first-ever league title, confirming their emergence as a competitive force. That same year, businessman Bernard Tapie took over at Marseille, and his arrival transformed the fixture.
Tapie invested heavily in elite talent and quickly built a squad capable of dominating French football, with Marseille becoming the strongest side in the country.
However, beyond results, Tapie’s outspoken and confrontational style intensified the rivalry. He openly targeted PSG in the media, framed matches as symbolic battles and ensured that every meeting carried added drama.
While the tension on the pitch was genuine, the “Le Classique” brand itself was also a deliberate creation. In the late 1980s, French broadcaster Canal+ — which later acquired PSG in 1991 — officially coined the term, modelling it after Spain’s El Clasico, with the objective of marketing the game as a must-watch spectacle and position it as the defining clash of French football.
By promoting it as a “clash of worlds”, Canal+ and Tapie successfully elevated what had once been a standard league fixture into the most anticipated event on the domestic calendar. High-end television production, bold pre-match narratives and constant media coverage fuelled the fire.
During this period, both clubs were regularly competing for league titles, with crucial matches directly influencing championship outcomes. Controversial refereeing decisions, aggressive encounters and public exchanges between club presidents deepened the hostility.
Marseille’s era of dominance
Marseille dominated domestically between 1989 and 1993, winning four consecutive league titles and becoming the first French club to win the UEFA Champions League in 1993 — an achievement that remains central to their identity within the rivalry.
However, that golden era ended in scandal after Marseille were found guilty in a match-fixing case, stripped of their 1992–93 league title and relegated. Their dramatic fall from grace shifted the balance of power and handed PSG a significant opportunity to rise.
PSG’s rise and the evolving power struggle
Backed by Canal+, PSG assembled strong squads throughout the 1990s and won multiple domestic trophies, along with the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, becoming the second French club to claim a major European honour after Marseille.
By this stage, the rivalry had fully matured into France’s defining football feud. Matches during the 1990s were tense, physical and emotionally charged, with intense media build-up and growing supporter hostility. Although dominance shifted at different points between the two clubs, the importance and symbolism of the fixture only increased.
Through the early 2000s, control continued to change hands, with both sides enjoying periods of superiority. However, the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in 2011 altered the landscape permanently.
With significant financial backing, PSG entered a new era of sustained dominance. Marquee signings followed, league titles became frequent, and the club established itself as the leading force in French football. That domestic supremacy eventually translated into continental success, culminating in their UEFA Champions League triumph in the 2024–25 season.
Despite the gap in recent achievements, the rivalry has never lost its edge. Every meeting between Marseille and PSG is surrounded by lingering controversy and no shortage of bold pre-match statements from players determined to raise the stakes even higher.
Head-to-head record between PSG and Marseille
Since their first meeting in 1971, PSG and Marseille have faced each other 112 times. Les Parisiens hold the upper hand with 55 victories, while Les Phoceens have claimed 36 wins, and 21 encounters have ended level.
Both clubs have enjoyed spells of dominance, with Marseille making the brighter start to the rivalry, going unbeaten in the first five meetings and winning eight of the opening 13.
PSG’s first sustained period of control came between 1979 and 1989, when they won nine of 14 clashes during that stretch, including six consecutive victories. That run began with a thrilling 4–3 triumph, which remains the highest-scoring match in the fixture. Marseille, however, recorded their biggest win in the rivalry during that same period, thrashing the capital club 4–0 in November 1986.
The balance shifted again in the 1990s and into the early 2000s, as OM won 13 of 23 meetings, losing just three. However, many of the encounters from that era until 2008 ultimately favoured PSG, including a 2–1 victory in the 2005–06 Coupe de France final.
Marseille also enjoyed their own showpiece success in 2010, defeating PSG on penalties in the Champions Trophy. That result formed part of a strong run in which Les Phoceens won six of seven meetings between 2009 and 2011.
Since then, the rivalry has largely tilted in PSG’s favour. The capital club have won 28 of the last 35 encounters, losing only three in that time, although one of those defeats came in a 1-0 setback at the Velodrome in September 2025.
PSG have since responded by winning both subsequent meetings, including a penalty shoot-out victory in the Champions Trophy on January 8, 2026, before recording the biggest win in the history of the fixture with a 5–0 success at the Parc des Princes just a month later.
Key matches and iconic Le Classique fixtures
The title decider: Marseille 1–0 PSG (May 5, 1989)
Arguably the most dramatic match of the rivalry’s early years, this clash served as the title decider on the final day of the 1988–89 Division 1 season at the Stade Velodrome.
The two sides were separated by a single point heading into the contest. PSG required only a draw to be crowned champions, while Marseille needed all three points to leapfrog Les Parisiens at the summit.
With only minutes remaining, Franck Sauzee unleashed a thunderous strike from 30 yards that sent the Velodrome into delirium. The goal sealed a 1–0 victory and ended Marseille’s 17-year wait for a top-flight crown.
PSG 0–1 OM (December 18, 1992)
Often described as the spark that ignited the modern rivalry, this meeting at the Parc des Princes came shortly after Canal+ invested in PSG, providing the capital club with the financial muscle to challenge a dominant Marseille side.
The build-up was laced with controversy, with PSG manager Artur Jorge vowing that his team would give Marseille “hell”. In response, OM president Tapie reportedly photocopied the quote and plastered it across the dressing room walls to stir his players.
The match itself was every bit as combustible, with more than 50 fouls committed, yet only a handful of cards were shown. Marseille emerged 1–0 winners thanks to a 21st-minute strike from Alen Boksic.
Marseille 2–4 PSG (May 21, 2016)
While league title deciders had become less frequent by the mid-2010s, the 2016 Coupe de France final delivered the high-stakes drama this rivalry demands. Held at the Stade de France, the match was framed as the farewell stage for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
PSG struck early through Blaise Matuidi, but Florian Thauvin quickly restored parity for Marseille. Edinson Cavani then scored either side of Ibrahimovic’s second-half brace, leaving Michy Batshuayi’s late effort little more than a consolation.
PSG 0–1 Marseille (September 13, 2020)
Although PSG have largely dictated this fixture in recent years, this result stands as a notable exception. Marseille arrived at the Parc des Princes without a win in their previous 20 meetings with their rivals.
A 31st-minute goal from Thauvin proved decisive, as Les Phoceens held firm to secure a 1–0 victory and finally bring an end to their long drought in Le Classique.
PSG 5–0 Marseille (February 8, 2026)
For almost four decades, Marseille supporters held their 4–0 victory in 1986 as the benchmark of dominance in this rivalry. PSG surpassed that mark with a ruthless 5–0 demolition at the Parc des Princes on February 8, 2026.
Ousmane Dembele struck twice early on, Facundo Medina turned the ball into his own net, and further goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kang-in Lee completed the heaviest win in the history of Le Classique.