Orange to end Vélodrome naming deal with Marseille after 10 years
Orange will end its stadium naming deal with Olympique de Marseille after a decade, forcing the club to seek a new title partner for the Vélodrome from this summer.
Orange will not renew its naming agreement for Olympique de Marseille’s stadium when the current contract expires, bringing a 10-year commercial partnership to a close.The deal has seen the venue marketed as the Orange Vélodrome, giving the telecoms group long-term visibility in one of France’s highest-profile football markets and providing Marseille with a recurring revenue line tied to a core asset.The club now faces a near-term commercial reset, with a new naming rights process likely to become a priority as it looks to protect matchday-adjacent revenues and maintain sponsor momentum around the stadium platform.Orange’s exit comes despite the recent appointment of Stéphane Richard, a former Orange chief executive, as Marseille’s president, which had raised expectations in some quarters that the partnership could be extended.Marseille will now turn to the market for a replacement naming partner, with the outcome likely to be shaped by the club’s broader sponsorship portfolio and the extent to which a new partner can integrate brand, hospitality and B2B programmes into the venue.CMA CGM, Marseille’s shirt sponsor, has been widely discussed externally as a possible successor due to its existing club relationship, but it is not expected to take over the naming rights.The change matters beyond brand signage. Naming rights are increasingly bundled with broader commercial inventory including premium seating, event access, content rights and local business activations, which can materially affect a club’s non-broadcast revenue profile.Marseille’s next deal will also be a reference point for pricing in Ligue 1, where clubs are under pressure to grow commercial income amid shifting media dynamics and rising operating costs.Attention now turns to the club’s timetable for appointing a new partner and how it positions the stadium asset in negotiations, including whether it prioritises a domestic champion, an international brand seeking French market reach, or a partner aligned with Marseille’s regional identity.Any rebrand from the Orange Vélodrome is expected to follow the contract end date, with Marseille’s commercial team likely to seek clarity quickly to support sales planning for the 2026–27 season.