OGC Nice in Europe: A history

OGC Nice are one of France's oldest teams, having just celebrated their 120th anniversary in a bumper win over AS Saint-Étienne. They are four-time winners of the league, and have also won the Coupe de France on three occasions, but most of their success dates to the 1950s, and having suffered several relegations and promotions in the intervening decades, they haven't been regular participants in Europe until recently, when a run of finishes in the top seven has seen them impress against continental opposition. 

Nice's first participation in continental competition came in the 1956-57 season, when they played in just the second edition of the European Champions' Cup, the forerunner to the Champions League. A year on from winning the title under former player Luis Carniglia, they knocked out first Danish side Aarhus, 6-2 on aggregate before overcoming Rangers via a replay in the round of 16, having been level after the tie. 

Their reward in the quarterfinals was a matchup against the mighty Real Madrid, who would win the first five editions of the competition. After losing 3-0 at the Bernabeu, the tie was all but over but Nice nevertheless gave a good account of themselves in the second leg at home, losing just 3-2. Three seasons later, Nice again reached the quarterfinals, and again met the Spanish giants. In the first leg, played at home, they would shock Los Blancos with a 3-2 win, and although they would lose the second leg heavily, they nevertheless impressed.

The years that followed saw only a handful of appearances in Europe -- in the UEFA Cup twice in the 1970s, as well as the Cupwinners' Cup in 1999, but it wasn't until the last decade that the team has consistently made a mark. A initial qualification in 2013/14 ended in the playoff round of the Europa League, with the team barely avoiding relegation, but subsequent forays on the continent have been more impressive. In 2016/17, Nice were drawn in a tough Europa League group with German side Schalke 04, and failed to progress, but after finishing third in the league, they qualified for the Champions League playoffs the next season.

A memorable away-goals win over Ajax in the third round was impressive, and even if they would lose to Napoli in the next, their dropping into the Europa League proved fruitful as Mario Balotelli impressed with seven goals in Europe, helping the team reach the knockout rounds of that competition. Nice's deepest run in Europe in recent seasons came in the 2022-23 Europa Conference League as they reached the quarterfinals before a goal in extra time against FC Basel knocked them out. Now with a new season of European competition underway, Les Aiglons are ready to write a new chapter in their continental history.

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