Three theme parks near Cergy — including a possible Dragon Ball park — confirmed in a €6 billion project

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Three theme parks near Cergy — including a possible Dragon Ball park — confirmed in a €6 billion project

Mirapolis may be about to come back to life... and the project is now on an entirely different scale. In Courdimanche, near Cergy in the Val-d'Oise, a vast leisure complex backed by the Saudi group Qiddiya is now officially under consideration. France and Saudi Arabia have confirmed an investment of around €6 billion in a destination combining several parks, hotels and leisure activities. Dragon Ball is among the worlds mentioned — but an important caveat applies: the licence has not yet been officially secured for the French project.

According to Le Monde, published on 25 August 2026, Qiddiya Investment Company has not yet received authorisation from the Japanese rights holders to use the Dragon Ball brand and characters in France. The manga-themed park therefore remains a very serious prospect — publicly floated in particular by Valérie Pécresse — but its development under that licence still has to be secured.

Opened in 1987, Mirapolis was meant to become one of France's great amusement parks. Built on a large plot in Courdimanche, it remains associated above all with its monumental Gargantua statue. The adventure was short-lived, however: hit by financial difficulties and insufficient visitor numbers, the park closed in 1991 after only a few seasons.

A €6 billion project led by Qiddiya

The future complex is set to bring together three theme parks, for a total announced investment of €6 billion. Around 22,000 jobs could be created around this new tourist destination.

The announcement was made official by Emmanuel Macron, who described it as an "exceptional announcement", highlighting both his interest in manga and his wish to attract investment to France capable of creating jobs and funding large-scale projects.

Note, however, that the joint statement published on 25 August by France and Saudi Arabia does not directly mention Dragon Ball. It confirms Qiddiya's ambition to develop a multi-park complex at Cergy-Pontoise with up to three flagship attractions, hotels and complementary leisure experiences. The Dragon Ball theme was announced publicly by several French officials, but remains subject to the licence holders' agreement.

Financing is to be provided by Qiddiya Investment Company, a Saudi entertainment group behind several very large-scale tourism and leisure projects in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier in the day, Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse said the region had been working on the file for 18 months, describing it on TF1 as a project "on the scale of Disney".

While the Dragon Ball universe is now linked to one of the announced parks, the themes of the other two parks have not yet been revealed.

What role for the former Mirapolis site?

The land of the former Mirapolis park in Courdimanche had until now been at the centre of discussions around a Dragon Ball park. The 24 August announcements, however, refer more broadly to a complex near Cergy-Pontoise, without detailing the precise footprint of each of the three future parks.

It is therefore still too early to say that the entire programme will sit on the former Mirapolis land alone. The historic site could host all or part of the project, but the exact locations have not yet been specified.

The scale of the project also raises the question of the supporting infrastructure: road access, public transport, parking, accommodation, restaurants and other facilities needed to welcome a large flow of visitors.

A Dragon Ball park envisaged by Qiddiya

Dragon Ball, the famous manga by Akira Toriyama, remains the universe most clearly associated with the French project.

But the project has not yet cleared all the necessary hurdles. According to Le Monde, Qiddiya has not yet obtained the Japanese rights holders' agreement to operate Dragon Ball in a French park. The negotiation is all the more important as the franchise rights involve several Japanese players.

It is therefore more accurate, at this stage, to speak of a Dragon Ball park envisaged within the future Cergy-Pontoise complex rather than a definitively acquired licence.

Qiddiya nonetheless already knows this universe very well — the group is currently developing a Dragon Ball theme park at Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, for which the licence is officially established.

This Saudi project gives a sense of Qiddiya's ambitions around the licence. The park is set to span more than 500,000 m² with seven themed zones inspired by the seven Dragon Balls. Several iconic locations from the saga are to be recreated, including Kame House, Capsule Corporation and the planet of Beerus.

More than 30 attractions are announced, including five major rides. The park is also to be dominated by a spectacular 70-metre-tall Shenron, around which a roller coaster will be built.

What could the French Dragon Ball park look like if the licence is secured?

These details hint at the expertise and ambition Qiddiya can mobilise around the licence. They do not, however, mean the future Val-d'Oise park will replicate the one currently being developed in Saudi Arabia.

At this stage, no plans, no surface area and no list of attractions specific to the French project have been unveiled. It is also unknown which periods of the saga will be represented and whether some of the attractions or sets imagined for Qiddiya City will be adapted for the Île-de-France park.

The choice of Dragon Ball is no accident. The franchise created by Akira Toriyama enjoys immense popularity in France, one of Europe's leading markets for Japanese manga and animation. Macron himself referenced his interest in manga when announcing the project.

A first park opening targeted for 2032?

You'll have to be patient for a few more years before discovering the complex. According to the initial information, the opening of a first park is targeted for around 2032, with the other two parks to be developed progressively on a timeline not yet announced.

That date remains provisional, however. The project must still clear numerous stages before opening to the public: precise siting, administrative procedures, infrastructure works and construction of the various facilities. The exact location of the three parks, the identity of the other two themed universes and their surface areas all remain to be clarified.

In any case, the project around the former Mirapolis site is no longer just a Dragon Ball hypothesis floated behind the scenes. The Franco-Saudi announcement of 24 August gives it a new dimension and opens the way to the creation of a major leisure destination around Cergy-Pontoise.