Nîmes Olympique (commonly referred to as simply Nîmes) is a French association football club based in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

. The club was founded on 12 April 1937 and currently plays in the

Championnat National The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...

, the third tier of

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the natio ...

. The Stade des Antonins is the club's home stadium.

History

Initially founded in 1901 by Henri Monnier as Sporting Club Nîmois, the club's competitive history can be traced back to the Championnat Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques where they won the 1908 edition of the competition in the Languedoc zone before eventually being knocked out by Olympique de Marseille 2-5. Sporting Club Nîmois was dissolved in 1935 before a continuation of the club in Nîmes Olympique was established on April 12, 1937. An article for association status for the club was accepted on 4 June 1937. In the years following World War 2, Nîmes were promoted to the French Division 1 during the 1949-1950 season and finishing fifth in Division 1 the following season. During the 1950s, the club would see some success at domestic level, winning the Coupe Drago in 1956 in a 3–1 win over

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

and finishing runners up in Division 1 on three occasions ( 1957-58, 1958-59 and 1959-60). The club would fall into the French Division 2 in the 1983-84 season. In the 1995–96 season, then playing in the third division (non-professional level), Nîmes reached the final of the

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

, allowing them to compete the following year in the

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...

. In September 1996, in the Round of 32, Nîmes beat Budapest Honvéd (5–2 on aggregate), before losing to AIK in the next round (2–3 on aggregate). On 5 May 2018, Nîmes secured promotion back to

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

for the first time since the 1992–93 season after finishing second in

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

. In the 2018–19 season, Nîmes finished comfortably above the relegation zone in Ligue 1, placing 9th among 20 teams. In the 2020–21 Ligue 1 season, Nîmes finished second from bottom and were relegated to Ligue 2. On 5 November 2022, Nîmes played its final match at the Stade des Costières, a 1–0 Ligue 2 victory over

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. The club would move into the Stade des Antonins on a temporary basis, before the demolition of the Stade des Costières would pave the way for the construction of the Stade Nemausus, for a projected completion in 2026. In the 2022–23 Ligue 2 season, Nîmes finished second from the bottom and were relegated to the

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Nîmes in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1937. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club or represented the national team for which the player is eligible during his stint with Nîmes or following his departure. ''For a complete list of Nîmes Olympique players, see :Nîmes Olympique players''

Coaches

Honours

League

**''Runners-up'': 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972 *

**''Champions'': 1950 **''Runners-up'': 2018 *

**''Champions'': 1997, 2012

Cup

**''Runners-up'': 1957–58, 1960–61, 1995–96 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

**''Runners-up'': 1958 * Coppa delle Alpi **''Champions'': 1972 * Coupe Charles Drago **''Champions'': 1956 * Coupe Gambardella **''Champions'': 1961, 1966, 1969, 1977

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nimes Olympique Association football clubs established in 1937 1937 establishments in France Sport in Nîmes Football clubs in Occitania (administrative region) Ligue 1 clubs