Allianz Riviera

A modern-bowl-type structure, the Allianz Riviera is a modern-day, out-of-town arena capable of hosting multiple sporting events and concerts. The Allianz Riviera was built in 2013, the stadium was constructed for €150 Million and replaced the Stade du Ray, which had been home to Les Aiglons since 1927. The stadium, sponsored by insurance giants Allianz, is set a stone’s throw away from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport on a street that hosts the club’s training ground and a large shopping centre. Outside, the stadium’s glass facade and modern structure make it an ever-present reminder of the modern age of football. In contrast, inside, the enclosed 3 tier stands make for an exciting atmosphere and impressive viewing from every seat.

Away fans are situated in the North Eastern Corner of the Allianz Riviera in sections C1, C2 and C3, with all three tiers of this corner being allocated to teams who have big followings. Within this corner, away fans are protected by Perspex glass which surrounds the away section.

Bars near to the Allianz Riviera:

• La Cantine Arkose – Rue Alain Mimouni, 06200
• Wayne’s Bar – 15 Rue de la Prefecture, 06300
• Elisabeth’s Bar – 2 Rue Halevy, 06000
• Delano Cocktail Bar – 16 Rue de Marechal Joffre, 06000
• Red Kafe – 9 Rue Halevy, 06000
• Les Bars du Negreso – 37 Prom. des Anglais, 06000

Restaurants near to the Allianz Riviera

• La Cucina – 9 Rue du Commandant Raffalli, 06000
• Le Frog – 3 Rue Milton Robbins, 06300
• Le Grand Cafe de France – 7 Rue de France, 06000
• Restaurant Le Duc – 27 Prom. des Anglais, 06000
• Vabbuo – 10 Rue Meyerbeer, 06000
• Le Bistro Dalpozzo – 10 Rue Dalpozzo, 06000

• Servotel Nice – 30 Av. Auguste Verola, 06200
• Hotel Isidore Nice Ouest – 27 Av. Auguste Verola, 06200
• B&B Hotel Nice Stade Riviera – 311 Bd du Mercantour, 06200
• La Tuiliere – 3348 Rte de Saint-Jeannet, 06700
• Chambre d’hôtes A l’ancre Marine – 325 Av. de Fabron, 06200
• Hotel du Baou – 246 All. Hector Pintus, 06610

If travelling by car, take exit 52 (Saint Isidore) from the A8 motorway and follow signs to Allianz Riviera. Alternatively, take Bd Mercantour towards Digne, and follow signs to Allianz Riviera. If taking the car, there is a free car park situated outside the stadium but this is limited on matchday. Alternatively, there is a paid multi-storey car park located adjacent to the ground, which also serves the nearby shopping centre.

On match days, there is a specific transport system set up to take fans to and from the Allianz Riviera. This system starts around two hours before the match kicks off.

By tram you take the special tram line which will read as “serves Stade de Nice” and it runs from stations Port Lympia up to Saint-Isidore. The tram runs every twenty minutes on a match day and gradually stops around two hours after kick-off. After the match, the trams run every five minutes to take fans away from the stadium and back towards the city centre.

By bus, you would need to get to Nice Cote d’Azur Metropolis to take a bus to the Allianz Riviera. These buses run every five minutes and you can park at Navette Bleue to access the bus station.

By train, the stadium is easiest reached by taking a train to Nice Saint Augustin, which is serviced regularly from Nice Ville, (Nice’s main train station), and is also the main station servicing the city’s airport. From here, a tram station is situated upon exit by the station (stop Grand Arenas) from which the stadium Tram stops (Stop Stade). By bus, the stadium is serviced by Lines 11 and 59 from Nice City Centre, with the stadium situated close to the Saint Isidore Stop.

Construction to build the Allianz Riviera started in 2011 and was completed two years later. The stadium’s opening was on 22nd September 2013, for a match between OGC Nice and Valenciennes.

The stadium was originally planned to be completed by 2007. However, construction was halted the previous year because of concerns related to the future cost of the structure. Plans for the stadium, located in Saint-Isidore near the Var, were then put on hold. The project was revived as part of France’s ultimately successful bid to host UEFA Euro 2016. Due to sponsorship regulations, the stadium is known as the Stade de Nice in the UEFA competition. The stadium hosted six matches at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Matchday tickets are available at https://billetterie.ogcnice.com/en/. Tickets range in price depending on the category of matchday, with tickets for games against the likes of PSG and Marseille being the most expensive. Tickets for the higher Category games start at €29 and can be as high as €149. For lower-category games, tickets start as low as €9. To ensure tickets for a game, particularly ones at the lower range of the price scale, it is advised to book in advance.

OGC Nice contests the Derby de La Cote D’Azur with AS Monaco. This is considered by many of Nice’s support to be their biggest rivalry, with Monaco being their closest neighbours in the top flight of French football. Furthermore, OGC Nice also has lesser rivalries with Olympique Marseille and Bastia, with those matches being dubbed the Derby de la Mediterranean.

Being a modern arena, the Allianz Riviera has facilities to cater to any disability. Further information can be found on OGC Nice’s official website.

Record Attendance

35,569 vs AS Saint-Etienne, 7th May 2016

Average Attendance
2023-2024: 24,389 (Ligue 1)
2022-2023: 22,286 (Ligue 1)
2021-2022: 16,077 (Ligue 1)
2020-2021: N/A (Covid-19)
2019-2020: 19,225 (Ligue 1)
2018-2019: 19,126 (Ligue 1)
2017-2018: 22,876 (Ligue 1)

Official wesbite – https://www.ogcnice.com/en/

The Allianz Riviera can accommodate 36,178 spectators when football is the event on show, the stadium is the 10th largest football stadium in France. The Allianz Riviera has also however played host to other sporting events. In 2023 the stadium was one of 9 venues to stage matches as France hosted the Rugby World Cup, with a total of 4 matches held in the stadium. When Rugby is held in the stadium, the capacity is slightly reduced to 35,169. With many world-renowned acts also hosting concerts at the Allianz Riviera, the stadium can host 44,624 spectators at such shows. Some of the acts to have played here include Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and the Weeknd.

Tours are available at the stadium twice daily, at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM. These come for €13. The tour includes access to the dressing rooms, media suites and pitch side to the dugouts, as well as entrance to the National Sports Museum which is situated within the stadium. The tour takes approximately 1 and a half to 2 hours to complete.

Thank you to Craig Black for contributing to this OGC Nice ground guide.

If anything is incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail [email protected] and the guide will be updated.