Its seating capacity of 80, makes it the largest stadium in France. The stadium is used by the French national football and rugby union teams for international competitions.
It is the largest in Europe for athletics events, seating 77, in that configuration. During other events, the stadium's running track is mostly hidden under the grandstands.
The Stadium was a key player in the success of the city's bid to host the Summer Olympic Games and also the Paralympics and in addition to hosting athletics and the closing ceremonies of both events.
The stadium was rugby sevens venue during the Olympic Games. The facility also hosted the Race of Champions auto race in , , and The stadium hosted the World Championships in Athletics , and from to , it hosted the annual Meeting Areva athletics meet. The stadium also hosts the main French domestic cup finals, which include the Coupe de France both football and rugby , Coupe de la Ligue , Challenge de France , and the Coupe Gambardella , as well as the Top 14 rugby union championship match.
The discussion about a new national stadium in France was asked during the bid process for the FIFA World Cup , when this issue was noted as one of the weaknesses of the Paris bid for the Summer Olympics. And despite the existing infrastructure, if the process won, there was a guarantee that the French government and the French Football Federation would build a stadium for more than 80 thousand people and that it would become the main stage of the event.
