Beşiktaş host Marseille in Europa League opener; Turkish side seek to extend home dominance

Olympique de Marseille travel to Istanbul to face Beşiktaş in their UEFA Europa League league-phase opener on 17 September 2026, seeking to halt a three-match losing streak in domestic competition. The match, scheduled for 19:00 UK time (16:00 Brasília time) at Tüpraş Stadium, marks the first competitive meeting between the two clubs and the start of the newly structured 36-team tournament format.

Beşiktaş enter the fixture in strong domestic form, having won their last three Super Lig matches and scored 11 goals across those victories. The Turkish side also progressed through qualifying with an impressive record, winning five of six Europa League qualifying matches. Crucially, Beşiktaş have not conceded a goal in any of their three home European matches this season. Manager Vincenzo Italiano, who guided Fiorentina to back-to-back UEFA Conference League finals in 2023 and 2024, brings significant continental experience to the role. Italian referee Andrea Colombo will oversee the fixture, which represents Beşiktaş's 265th European competition match. Midfielder Orkun Kökçü has scored twice in the competition this season.

Marseille, by contrast, arrive under pressure following losses to Rennes, Paris FC, and Monaco in Ligue 1. Head coach Bruno Genesio has previous experience of Tüpraş Stadium's hostile environment, having managed Lyon in a 2017 Europa League quarterfinal against Beşiktaş that the French side won 7–6 on penalties. Genesio has acknowledged Beşiktaş as "one of the best teams in this tournament," citing their balanced approach across midfield, attack, and defence. "I experienced the atmosphere in this stadium in 2017… my ears hurt for two or three days. It was one of the best atmospheres I have seen in Europe," Genesio said. Brazilian forward Igor Paixão will make his Europa League debut for Marseille; the 24-year-old played eight Champions League matches last season, scoring four goals and providing one assist. Paixão scored two goals and provided four assists in the 2024–25 Champions League campaign, including a standout performance against Milan, and registered one goal and one assist in six Europa League matches for Feyenoord in 2022–23.

Beşiktaş historically have found success in the Europa League, recording 62 wins across 139 appearances in the competition, though their deepest runs reached only the quarterfinals (2003, 2017). The match will be broadcast live on CazéTV and Prime Video. This opening fixture sets the tone for Marseille's European campaign and precedes a Ligue 1 clasico against Paris Saint-Germain on 20 September.