The Stade de France, which was built for the 1998 men's FIFA World Cup, is owned by the French State and managed by a consortium featuring construction giants Bouygues Bâtiment and Vinci, whose contract is set to expire in July 2025.

The consortium is one of four parties in contention for the fresh tender, the others being football giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a French consortium for the purchase of the venue and GL Events with Paris Entertainment Company.

French newspaper L'Équipe reported the four applicants have received specifications for a takeover of the Stade de France, and have until mid-November this year to file their technical plans.

This is with a view to selecting a successful bidder at the end of 2024 or at the beginning of 2025.

The Stade de France currently holds more than 81,000 spectators, set to be reduced to 77,083 during Paris 2024 to accommodate a temporary athletics track.

L'Équipe reported the State will require the venue to retain a capacity of at least 80,000 seats with a maximum of 15 per cent designated for hospitality, which would hamper PSG's plans to reduce the capacity to 70,000.

It also wants French football and rugby matches as well as concerts to continue taking place at the Stade de France.

The Stade de France has held the men's 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2016 UEFA European Championship, 2007 Rugby World Cup finals, and the 2003 World Athletics Championships.

It is due to stage athletics and rugby sevens during next year's Olympics and Para athletics at the Paralympics.

This has required several major events due to be held there next year including rugby union Six Nations matches to be moved to other French cities.

The venue was the scene for last year's UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, stepping in at short notice to replace Saint Petersburg in Russia.

That was overshadowed by the chaotic and widely-condemned handling of the occasion by the French authorities and police which exacerbated security concerns for Paris 2024.