This weekend, Nice is at the heart of the fighting game world as EVO France 2025 opens its doors at the Palais des Expositions, welcoming 5,000 registered players, more than 50 competition stations, and a crowd coming from 93 countries. Shortly before midday, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi visited the venue to witness the scale of the event firsthand.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., a long queue stretched along the entrance of the Palais des Expositions. Very quickly, the venue reached full capacity, leaving many eager visitors unable to enter. Inside, the atmosphere was packed — both around the competition tables and in the gaming booths and merchandise areas.
The first hour before the official start of the tournaments was dedicated to free play. Players warmed up, tested their combos and checked their controllers. More than 50 tables were set up in the vast hall, allowing up to 12 players per session. From 10 a.m., official matches began across all games. Only the Hunter x Hunter: Nen Impact tournament will crown its winner later this evening.
This edition of EVO France 2025 (Evolution Championship Series) is marked by a national record, with 1,948 French players registered out of the 5,000 participants — the highest number ever recorded. This significantly increases the chances of seeing a third French player win an EVO title across the seven games featured this year.
A City Embraced by Esports
At 12 p.m., Mayor Christian Estrosi made a symbolic visit to the site. He stopped at several stands, including the booth for 2XKO — the highly anticipated new title from American publisher Riot Games — as well as the “Explore Nice Côte d’Azur” pavilion, before heading to the main stage of the Palais. This arena is set to host the Top 8 finals, with over 1,000 seated spectators and a giant screen.
During his visit, Estrosi highlighted the economic impact of hosting such an event in Nice:
“Video gaming is taking over Nice for these three days. At least 15,000 hotel nights have been booked across the city for the 5,000 participants.”
The mayor also shared his ambition to attract more esports events to Nice:
“We are identified as the city of the future for esports in Europe. EVO will return in 2026, and it’s almost certain that next time we will use two venues simultaneously.”
Christian Estrosi aims to position Nice as a European capital of esports, by developing infrastructures such as the Palais des Expositions, Palais Nikaïa, and Océania, inaugurated earlier this year, to host future editions.
“It’s Crazy to Be Here in Real Life”: French Visitors Thrilled to Attend EVO
A group of friends from Paris travelled to Nice to live out their passion for video games. Ludovic, 28, a fan of Street Fighter and Tekken, shared his excitement:
“This is the first time I’ve ever attended an esports competition in person — and it’s EVO, in France! It’s crazy. I usually watch tournaments on my computer at ridiculous hours, since major events are held in the US or Asia. Being here in real life is incredible.”
Upon learning that EVO will return to Nice in 2026, he laughed:
“I didn’t even know that! If I can, I’ll definitely come back!”
Anaïs, 19, is also taking the opportunity to discover the city:
“Nice is beautiful. We went to the Promenade des Anglais this morning before coming here — the setting is stunning.”
She adds that the choice of location for EVO played a major role in her decision to come and visit the French Riviera.
Behind the Scenes: How EVO Came to Nice
At the origin of EVO’s arrival in France is Bertrand Amar, Head of Esports at Webedia and co-organiser of EVO France 2025. He explained how the event came to Nice:
“Discussions with Sony, the owners of EVO, began in 2021 to bring EVO back to Europe. At the same time, we started working with the City of Nice on esports development through the organisation of the LFL Days in 2022 and 2023 — two days of competition for the French League of Legends league at the Palais Nikaïa.”
These events allowed the city to measure the strong interest of gaming fans in esports and to develop a genuine local esports strategy.
“The city of Nice quickly wanted to move to the next level and host an international competition. When the opportunity to bring EVO to Nice arose, the city didn’t hesitate. With an international airport capable of welcoming players from all over the world, and an exceptional quality of life, all the conditions were in place,” Amar explained, concluding humorously:
“That’s how we managed to complete the trilogy: Las Vegas, Tokyo, Nice!”
For the head of Webedia, Nice meets all the criteria to become just as essential as the world’s other major esports capitals.
More Than Competition: A Celebration of Gaming
Beyond the tournaments, EVO is also a celebration of video games. Arcade booths are overflowing with visitors, and gaming stands showcase highly anticipated titles such as 2XKO. The Palais is buzzing with activity, while shops sell exclusive EVO x Nice merchandise, attracting visitors eager to take home a souvenir from this first-ever European edition.
The Programme for the Coming Days
This weekend, attention will focus on the Top 8 finals for the games in competition.
On Saturday, tournaments for Dragon Ball FighterZ, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and Fatal Fury will conclude.
On Sunday, the main events begin with Guilty Gear: Strive (10:00–13:30), followed by Tekken 8 (13:45–17:45), and finally Street Fighter 6 (18:00–20:00).
The battles will intensify throughout the weekend, leading up to the trophy ceremonies. In total, $100,000 will be distributed among the top players across the seven games.
