Six Nations 2024 fixtures: France v Ireland tournament opener to take place in Marseille
- Published
Marseille's Stade Velodrome also hosted last year's Heineken Champions Cup final between La Rochelle and Leinster
Ireland will travel to Marseille to face France in the opening game of the 2024 Six Nations after tournament organisers confirmed the Stade de France will not be used.
France's fixtures have been moved away from the Paris venue because of its use in the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Irish will open their title defence against Les Bleus under the lights at Stade Velodrome on 2 February.
France will also host Italy in Lille and England in the final game in Lyon.
The Stade de France has hosted all of France's Six Nations matches except for their win over Italy in 2018, which took place in Marseille.
The Stade Velodrome has a capacity of 67,394 and is home to Ligue 1 football club Olympique Marseille.
Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy can hold 50,186 fans and has a retractable roof while Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon is the newest of the three grounds having opened in 2016.
France won the Six Nations in 2022 but surrendered their title to Grand Slam winners Ireland earlier this year.
France are also preparing to host this year's Rugby World Cup, with the Stade de France set to stage the final.
France's home 2024 Six Nations fixtures (times GMT)
France v Ireland, Stade Velodrome, 2 February, 20:00
France v Italy, Stade Pierre-Mauroy, 25 February, 15:00
France v England, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, 16 March, 20:00