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Did Marseille ever win the UEFA Champions League? French club's record in European competition | Sporting News

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Tuesday, September 16th 2025 at 15:31 GMT by Sporting News
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Did Marseille Ever Win the UEFA Champions League? A Look at the French Giants’ European Legacy

When the term “UEFA Champions League” rolls around, the usual suspects are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and the like. For many, it conjures images of long‑streaks of dominance in Europe’s premier club competition. However, there is a famous French club that has long been a fan favourite, but has never actually lifted the Champions League trophy in its modern incarnation. The club in question is Olympique de Marseille. While they do boast an illustrious European pedigree, the fact that their title came under a different competition name means that, technically, Marseille have never won the Champions League. Here’s a rundown of what that actually means, the history behind it, and how Marseille’s 1993‑94 triumph fits into the story.

1. The History of the Competition

The Champions League, as we know it today, was inaugurated in the 1992‑93 season, re‑branded from the old European Cup. The new format introduced group stages, an expanded entry pool and a new trophy – the “Champions League” emblem. It is therefore the case that the competition was still in its infancy when Marseille won the European Cup in 1993‑94. Though the trophy design was similar to what it is now, the competition was officially still called the European Cup that year. It wasn’t until the 1994‑95 season that the trophy and the title were officially renamed Champions League.

Because of that nomenclature quirk, Marseille’s triumph is technically recorded as a European Cup win, not a Champions League win, even though the two are essentially the same competition in terms of format and prestige. The Sporting News article points out that Marseille’s single European Cup final, where they beat AC Milan 1‑0 in the Parc des Princes, is why many pundits say Marseille has never truly won a Champions League.

2. The 1993‑94 Final: A Moment of Glory

Marseille’s 1993‑94 campaign was one for the history books. They faced AC Milan in a classic showdown. The game ended 1‑0 in favour of Marseille, with Didier Deschamps scoring the decisive goal in the 73rd minute. The match was played in the Parc des Princes, with a crowd of 48,500, and it remains a defining moment in Marseille’s history.

The Sporting News article notes that the match is still replayed and remembered as a highlight of French club football. Although Marseille were later embroiled in a match‑fixing scandal that cost them their French league title, the European Cup was never stripped. As a result, the club remains the only French team to have won Europe’s top club competition, albeit under the European Cup banner.

3. The Scandal and Its Aftermath

While the article briefly touches on the infamous 1993 match‑fixing scandal that saw Marseille’s domestic title revoked, it also points out that the European Cup was immune to the fallout. The 1993‑94 season was the last year in which the competition still carried the “European Cup” title, but the competition itself was still governed by UEFA’s standards.

The scandal involved a bribery case involving a referee, a player and the club’s coaching staff. Marseille was subsequently stripped of their French Ligue 1 title for the 1992‑93 season, but their European triumph remained intact. As such, the club’s European legacy stands, while its domestic accolades were rescinded.

4. Subsequent European Campaigns

After the scandal, Marseille went on to have a few European adventures but never managed to replicate their 1994 success. They reached the group stages on several occasions, most recently in 2017‑18 and 2021‑22. The Sporting News article includes links to the club’s current UEFA profile, which outlines that they have yet to make it past the knockout stage in the Champions League era.

It’s worth noting that Marseille has reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa League (the second tier) multiple times, and in 2019‑20 they even reached the quarter‑finals. Still, the club’s biggest European triumph remains the 1993‑94 European Cup win.

5. How French Clubs Compare

A quick comparison with other French clubs is helpful. Olympique de Marseille’s 1994 European Cup is the only major continental trophy won by a French club. The French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint‑Germain (PSG) have never won the Champions League, although they have reached the semi‑finals several times. The only other French club that has ever contested a Champions League final was AS Monaco, who faced Liverpool in 2003‑04, but they were eliminated in the semi‑finals that season.

The Sporting News article makes a point of noting that if Marseille had won the Champions League in 1994, they would have joined an elite group of clubs, but because the competition was still officially the European Cup, they remain the only French club to have won Europe’s top club competition in the 20‑th century.

6. Why the Confusion Matters

The article stresses that fans often misunderstand the difference between “European Cup” and “Champions League,” especially when discussing records. For instance, many might say Marseille “has never won the Champions League,” but that statement is technically accurate. Yet, if one includes the European Cup as part of the Champions League lineage, Marseille has indeed won Europe’s top club competition once.

This distinction is important not only for historical record‑keeping but also for club branding and marketing. The club’s own communications emphasize their 1994 European triumph, while the Ligue 1 media and UEFA often refer to it as a European Cup title.

7. The Broader Picture: A Single‑Moment Triumph

In essence, Marseille’s 1994 win encapsulates a brief moment when a French club was at the peak of European football. The Sporting News article paints this victory as both a highlight and a cautionary tale—highlighting their capability to compete at the highest level and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of ethical lapses.

For researchers and journalists, Marseille’s case underscores the importance of looking at the evolution of football competitions and how terminology shifts over time. The club’s European legacy, while technically a European Cup win, remains one of the most celebrated achievements in French club history.

8. Final Thoughts

So, does Marseille ever win the UEFA Champions League? In a strictly technical sense, no—because the trophy they won was called the European Cup at the time. However, the match’s significance and the prestige it carried are on par with what the Champions League represents today. For fans and historians alike, Marseille’s 1994 triumph remains a golden memory, a reminder that a French club can indeed stand atop the European hierarchy—even if the trophy’s name has changed since then.