This Friday, May 22, 2026, Place Masséna and the Paillon Promenade were transformed into a huge fan zone for the French Cup final between OGC Nice and RC Lens. Nice Premium was there, at the heart of the action, alongside its supporters.
Between two giant screens, more than 7,000 Nice supporters experienced an intense evening facing Lens… Thousands of Nice supporters of all ages gathered around the two giant screens installed in the heart of the city. An evening of great popular fervor, punctuated by the chants of the Brigade Sud and Nice identity, before a defeat (3-1) that quickly emptied the venue.
From late afternoon on Friday, May 22, the city center shifted into final atmosphere. On Avenue Jean-Médecin, in the Old Town and all the way to the Coulée verte, red and black jerseys dominated the crowd.
Around the two giant screens installed between Masséna and the Paillon Promenade, the fan zone grew denser hour after hour.
A green space in red and black
Red and black flags waving, scarves held high, flares lit as night fell: the city vibrated like a major pre-match atmosphere.
You could hear the chants from the Nice stands everywhere: «Issa Nissa!», «Nissa la Bella!», but also the refrains launched and repeated by supporter groups, in a very popular atmosphere where families, young people, seniors and ultras mingled.
As kick-off approached, the fan zone transformed into a true extension of the stadium. From the heart of the crowd, Brigade Sud Nice set the tone: drums, continuous chants and non-stop fervor.
Historic chants resonated on Place Masséna, taken up by thousands of voices: «This is Nice», «Whoever doesn’t jump isn’t from Nice», or the older refrains carried by generations of season ticket holders.
Children on their parents’ shoulders tried to follow the rhythm, while the elderly, red and black flags in hand, sang with an almost nostalgic emotion.
An emotional rollercoaster before halftime
Lens opening the scoring cut the atmosphere short. The second goal dampened the fervor for a few minutes.
But just before halftime, Nice’s goal triggered an explosion on Place Masséna. The fan zone literally trembled: Brigade Sud chants relaunched with renewed vigor, red flares, mosh pits, flags waving in all directions and cries of «Issa Nissa!» repeated endlessly.
For a few moments, Nice truly believed, carried by an atmosphere worthy of great European nights. Every Nice action was followed in tense silence, punctuated by explosions of cheers on rare occasions.
Then Lens’s third goal froze Place Masséna. The final whistle left a great void.
Very quickly, the fan zone emptied out. Within minutes, the crowd dispersed toward Jean-Médecin, the Old Town and the harbor. Brigade Sud chants continued in small pockets, but the general atmosphere died out quickly, like a stadium emptying too fast after a hard blow.
A popular evening despite everything
Despite the defeat, this final once again demonstrated Nice’s ability to come together as at the Stade de France at the 86th minute when 80,000 spectators sang the Marseillaise together in tribute to the victims of the Promenade des Anglais attack. On Place Masséna, between the two giant screens, the Brigade Sud chants, red and black flags and mixed generations, the city experienced a true evening of popular football. A sort of dress rehearsal before the World Cup.
The French Cup slipped away from Nice. But for a few hours, Nice sang as one, from the Old Town to the Coulée verte, carried by its Brigade Sud and its red and black people. Then the fan zone emptied quickly… too quickly. Issa Nissa…
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