Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice was founded on 9 July 1904 in Nice, on the French Riviera, initially as a multi-sport gymnastics and athletics association. The football team played at the Stade du Ray from 1927 until moving in 2013 to the Allianz Riviera, a modern stadium seating just over 36,000.

Nice enjoyed its golden era in the 1950s, taking four French league championships and winning the Coupe de France three times, the last of those coming in 1997. The club has since spent periods in Ligue 2 but has been a settled Ligue 1 side in recent decades, qualifying for European competition on several occasions, including through a fifth-place finish in 2023-24. Since 2019 the club has been owned by the Ineos group of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which has funded significant investment in the squad and facilities.