Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (French pronunciation: [ɔlɛ̃pik ʒimnast klœb də nis]), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Allianz Riviera.
Nice was founded under the name Gymnaste Club de Nice and is one of the founding members of the first division of French football. The club has won Ligue 1 four times, the Trophée des Champions once and the Coupe de France three times. It achieved most of its honours in the 1950s with the club being managed by coaches such as Numa Andoire, Englishman William Berry, and Jean Luciano. The club's last honour was winning the Coupe de France in 1997 after defeating Guingamp 4–3 on penalties in the final. Nice's colours are red and black.
During the club's successful run in the 1950s, Nice was among the first French clubs to successfully integrate international players into the fold. Notable players include Héctor de Bourgoing, Pancho Gonzales, Victor Nurenberg, and Joaquín Valle, the latter being the club's all-time leading goalscorer and arguably the greatest player.
Contents
History
Gymnaste Club 'Azur was founded in the residential district of Les Baumettes on 9 July 1904 under the name Gymnaste Club. The club was founded by Marquis de Massingy d'Auzac, who served as president of the Fédération Sportive des Alpes-Maritimes (lit. 'Alpes-Maritimes Sporting Federation'). Akin to its name, the club primarily focused on the sports of gymnastics and athletics. On 6 July 1908, in an effort to remain affiliated with the FSAM and also join the amateur federation USFSA, the head of French football at the time, Gymnaste Club de Nice split into two sections with the new section of the club being named Gymnastes Amateurs Club de Nice. The new section spawned a football club and, after two seasons, the two clubs merged. On 20 September 1919, Nice merged with the local club Gallia Football Athlétic Club and, subsequently, adopted the club's red and black combination. In 1920, the club was playing in the Ligue du Sud-Est, a regional league under the watch of the French Football Federation. While playing in the league, Nice developed rivalries with Cannes and Marseille. On 22 December 1924, the club changed its name to Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice.
In July 1930, the National Council of the French Football Federation voted 128–20 in support of professionalism in French football. Nice, along with most clubs from southern France, were among the first clubs to adopt the new statute and subsequently became professional and were founding members of the new league. In the league's inaugural season, Nice finished seventh in its group. In the following season, Nice finished 13th and were relegated from the league. The club did not play league football in the ensuing season and returned to French football in 1936, playing in Division 2. Nice spent the next three years playing in the second division. In 1939, professional football in France was abolished due to World War II. Nonetheless, Nice continued to play league football under amateur status with the club participating in the Ligue du Sud-Est in 1939 and the Ligue du Sud in the following seasons.
After World War II, Nice returned to professional status and was inserted back into the second division. The club achieved promotion back to the first division for the 1948–49 season under the leadership of the Austrian manager Anton Marek. After two seasons of finishing in the top ten, Nice, now led by manager Jean Lardi, achieved its first-ever honour by winning the league title in the 1950–51 season. Bolstered by French internationals Marcel Domingo, Antoine Bonifaci, Abdelaziz Ben Tifour, and Jean Courteaux, as well as the Argentine duo of Pancho Gonzales and Luis Carniglia and the Swede Pär Bengtsson, Nice won the league despite finishing equal on points with Lille. Nice was declared champions due to having more wins (18) than Lille (17). In the following season, under new manager Numa Andoire, Nice won the double after winning both the league and the Coupe de France. In the league, the club defended its title by holding off both Bordeaux and Lille. In the Coupe de France final, Nice faced Bordeaux and defeated the Aquitaine club 5–3 courtesy of goals from five different players.
2025-2026: A potential sale
In 2025, OGC Nice was placed on the market by its owner Jim Ratcliffe, who acquired the club in 2019. The sale process has been overseen by the advisory firm Lazard. In January 2026, Ratcliffe reportedly reduced the club's asking price, initially set at over €200 million, after failing to attract a buyer at the original valuation. The revised valuation was reported to be below €200 million, reflecting broader market conditions and the challenges of selling a top-tier French football club.
Home stadium
From 1927 until 2013, Nice played its home matches at the Stade du Ray. The stadium is, however, officially known as the Stade Léo-Lagrange, named after a French politician who had a stint in politics as the assistant secretary of state for sport. The Stade du Ray went through many renovations, most recently in 1997 and had a capacity of 17,415. The stadium was popular with supporters for being located in the centre of the city, but suffered from its old structure and small capacity, as the Nice metropolitan area has over one million residents.
Nice began to attempt to build a new stadium in 2002. In its first attempt, the club was heavily criticised by local politicians who questioned the usefulness and format of the stadium. Despite the critics, however, the club's proposition passed and excavation of the site in the plain of Var, at Nice-Lingostière, began in July 2006. The Tribunal administration of Nice cancelled the project for irregularities committed concerning the fixation of the price of tickets. In October 2008, the new deputy mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, declared that Nice would have a new stadium "no later than 2013". The new stadium was to be built at the same place as before, at Nice-Lingostière.
On 22 September 2009, French newspaper L'Équipe reported the Grand Stade Nice had been selected by the French Football Federation (FFF) as 1 of the 12 stadiums to be used in the country's bid to host UEFA Euro 2016. The FFF officially made its selections on 11 November 2009, and the city of Nice was selected as a site to host matches during the tournament.
The construction of the Allianz Riviera started in 2011 and was completed in September 2013.
Players
Current squad
As of 9 September 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Retired numbers
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Notable former players
Below are notable former players who have represented Nice in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1904.
For a complete list of OGC Nice players, see Category:OGC Nice players
Management and staff
Club officials
Senior club staff
Owner(s): Ineos
President: Maurice Cohen
Sporting director: Vacant
Head coach: Olivier Pantaloni
Assistant coach: Julien Sablé, Cédric Varrault
Goalkeeper coach: Stéphane Cassard
Fitness coach: Christopher Juras, Sébastien Sangnier, Maxime Verdier, Ghislain Dubois
Video Analyst: Sebastien Besombes
Chief Analyst: Alexandre Pasquini
Match Analyst: Kevin Jeffries
Honours
Domestic
Ligue 1
Champions (4): 1950–51, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1958–59
Runners-up (3): 1967–68, 1972–73, 1975–76
Ligue 2
Champions (4): 1947–48, 1964–65, 1969–70, 1993–94
Runners-up (1): 1984–85
Division 3 (Reserves)
Champions (2): 1984–85, 1988–89
Coupe de France
Champions (3): 1951–52, 1953–54, 1996–97
Runners-up (3): 1977–78, 2021–22, 2025–26
Coupe de la Ligue
Runners-up (1): 2005–06
Trophee des Champions
Champions (1): 1970
Runners-up (3): 1956, 1959, 1997
Other
Latin Cup
Runners-up (1): 1952
Sponsors
Main sponsor
Robinhood Markets
Kit sponsor
Kappa