The oldest town in France is in the Provence-Alpes-Azur region and will host four pool matches and two quarter-finals on the sunny south coast. Marseille is a flourishing Mediterranean city, awash with activity and buoyed by a young vibrant population.

Since the relocation of the cargo port, the old city has developed into a charming location for evening meals and drinks.

Marseille has a population of 800,000 and is a hub for the industrial and services sector. A little over a tenth of that population are students so expect a lively atmosphere if Marseille is on the itinerary.

The Velodrome, like many of the other host stadia, is more used to a soccer crowd but no stranger to big sporting successes down the years. Olympique Marseille are the only team in France to have won a European Cup and have 10 domestic titles and cups to their name as well. Marseille, however, is a hotbed of French rugby and often offers a more passionate crowd than the Paris venues.

Football suffered in Marseille when the side was demoted to the second division after a match fixing scandal in 1994. The heady days of the early 90s are yet to return but the stadium has developed a closer relationship with rugby in the meantime. In November 2000 France beat New Zealand 42-33 and have since seen off the challenge of Australia (14-13), South Africa (30-10) and England (17-16) in The Velodrome.