Nice will face Benfica Lisbon in the third preliminary round to qualify for the Champions League. The first leg is scheduled for August 5 or 6, at home.
A clash for OGC Nice. Being unseeded in the draw, Frank Haise’s men did not benefit from a favorable draw as they will face Benfica Lisbon in the third preliminary round of the Champions League. A major confrontation, against the recent Club World Cup round of 16 participants, for a place in the playoffs. Two matches promise to be intense, as Benfica has not missed the Champions League group stage since 2020.
The first leg will be played on August 5 or 6, at home, before the second leg in Lisbon on August 12. In case of defeat, Nice would be relegated to the Europa League.
Mission impossible?
The Portuguese had a more than decent season. They were the last team to qualify for the league phase, managing to eliminate AS Monaco in the round of 16 (0-1, 3-3), before being swept aside by FC Barcelona in the next round (0-1, 1-3). In the Club World Cup, they had a satisfactory campaign, being eliminated in the round of 16 by Chelsea (1-4 after extra time), the winner of the 2025 edition. The summer break was short for Benfica. The club will seek to quickly regain momentum before starting the championship on August 10 against Rio Ave.
The Águias are seasoned for big events. Their record speaks in their favor: 38 Portuguese championship titles and 2 European Cup victories, won consecutively in 1961 and 1962. On the other hand, Nice still remembers their terrible Europa League campaign last season. They finished 35th (out of 36 teams total), with 3 draws and 5 losses, against opponents of moderate strength on paper. To join Paris, Marseille, and Monaco, it will require a XXL achievement.
