Overview
- OGC Nice will host Benfica in the first leg of the third qualifying round on August 5 or 6 at Allianz Riviera, with the return leg in Lisbon on August 12.
- Defeating Benfica secures Nice as a seeded team in the Champions League play-off round, offering a potentially more favorable path to the group stage.
- Loss in the qualifier automatically places Nice in the Europa League play-off phase, ensuring continued European competition.
- Sporting director Florian Maurice highlighted Nice’s June 23 training restart as a strategic advantage against Benfica’s disrupted pre-season after the Club World Cup.
- Benfica reached last season’s Champions League round of 16, underscoring the challenge awaiting Nice in early August.