Nice-Benfica Lisbon: The Aiglons kick off their season against a major European team, ahead of the Champions League

The 2025-2026 football season has finally begun in France. The first French club to play an official match, OGC Nice, begins its European campaign on Wednesday, August 6 (9 p.m.), hosting Benfica Lisbon for the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Champions League at a sold-out Allianz Riviera. The Côte d'Azur club, fourth last season in Ligue 1, hopes to overcome the Portuguese team, the first obstacle—and not the least—on its path to qualifying for the league phase of the prestigious continental competition.

Beyond the sporting stakes for Franck Haise's troops, this match is the first in a new cycle of governance. Jean-Pierre Rivère, the long-time president since 2011, has stepped down – he retains a role within the club's endowment fund – and the British petrochemical group Ineos, owner of the Aiglons, has appointed Fabrice Bocquet to replace him. The club's general manager since November 2022, the latter intends to remain ambitious. "The objective is to qualify for a European cup, so to finish in the top 7. If we manage to reach the Champions League, it will be magnificent: it's been sixty-five years since we last played in this competition," he assured Sunday in L'Equipe .

But the task will be difficult against a Portuguese club accustomed to Europe's premier competition. Especially since Nice has developed the unfortunate habit of disappointing in Europe, as was the case last season, when Brazilian defender Dante's teammates were eliminated in the league phase of the Europa League without winning a single match.

While Wednesday's match didn't find a TV broadcaster—and will only be available on pay-per-view —the Allianz Riviera, which opened in 2013 for Euro 2016, is expected to be full. The Nice stadium has been renovated, with its capacity reduced (from 33,000 to 27,000) and its interior spaces modernized to better reflect the club's identity. And, unlike last season, when the stadium hosted the Paris 2024 Olympic football tournaments, the pitch was completely changed during the off-season. "The dressing is magnificent ," coach Franck Haise said at a press conference. "Everything is perfect, it's up to us to give our best."

Since June 30, Nice has also been able to fully collaborate with its investor Ineos. Also the owner of English club Manchester United, the British group had to comply with restrictions imposed by the Union of European Football Associations in 2024, as both clubs had qualified for the Europa League. The Côte d'Azur club had been placed in trust to guarantee its independence from the Red Devils, a measure lifted due to the Mancunians' failure to qualify for Europe this season.

Is increased cooperation between the two teams and player transfers, as other groups with multiple multi-club ownership do, being considered? Unlike Chelsea, whose owner, BlueCo, is pumping a lot of young players into its other team, Strasbourg—the Strasbourg team has already spent €87 million on transfers this summer, more than a quarter of the French league's spending—this prospect remains a sliver for Nice. And the club from the Bay of Angels has not made any flashy recruitment efforts this offseason.

Their summer transfer window was marked by the departure of Polish international goalkeeper Marcin Bulka (25 years old), one of last season's most prominent players, who joined Saudi Arabia. To replace him, the club has opted for Senegalese Yehvann Diouf, former Reims goalkeeper and a sure bet in Ligue 1. Another departure is veteran striker Gaëtan Laborde, who left OGC Nice after three years with the Aiglons (33 goals in 118 matches). His attacking partner Evann Guessand, the best Nice player last season (12 goals and 9 assists in Ligue 1), who has a release voucher and is highly sought after, could also be packing his bags. Injured, he will in any case miss the double confrontation between the Aiglons and Benfica's Lisbon Eagles (return on August 12).

With a league team deprived of television rights, following the end of the DAZN soap opera and the upcoming launch of the Ligue 1+ platform, Nice has not gone crazy with new signings. Swedish winger Isak Jansson, from Rapid Vienna, and Ghanaian defender Kojo Peprah Oppong, from Swedish club Norrköping, are among the recruits.

If they win the two matches against Benfica, Nice will have to play another play-off round (against Feyenoord Rotterdam or Fenerbahçe of Istanbul). In addition to the prestige of participating in Europe's biggest competition, qualification for the league phase of the Champions League would guarantee the club substantial revenue (several tens of millions of euros). This would be a decisive contribution to stabilizing Nice's project and supporting its sporting ambitions.