France and Saudi Arabia officially signed a €6 billion protocol on August 24, 2026, to develop three major theme parks near Cergy-Pontoise in the Val-d’Oise region. Backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF’s Qiddiya Investment Company, the project aims to create 22,000 direct jobs, featuring a manga-focused park with discussions centering heavily on Dragon Ball.
The €6 Billion Franco-Saudi Agreement Near Cergy-Pontoise
What started as months of behind-the-scenes talks culminated on Monday, August 24, 2026, during a visit to Paris by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. French President Emmanuel Macron and the crown prince finalized a landmark protocol of agreement for three new theme parks in the Val-d’Oise department. According to estimates provided by the Élysée Palace, the massive development represents an investment of six billion euros and is projected to generate 22,000 direct jobs.
Emmanuel Macron took to X to characterize the development as an “unprecedented” announcement and “unseen since Disneyland Paris,” framing the site as a potential new global destination. Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse confirmed on TF1 that regional authorities had been working on the file for eighteen months, emphasizing the immense economic scale of the undertaking.
From a Shared Manga Passion to the Mirapolis Site
The origins of the project trace back to a December 2024 meeting in Riyadh between Macron and Mohammed bin Salman. An Élysée advisor told AFP that the two leaders discovered a mutual enthusiasm for manga series, particularly Dragon Ball Z. During those initial discussions, the Saudi crown prince floated the idea of expanding the sovereign fund’s entertainment footprint internationally, leading to over a year of negotiations involving the French state, local authorities, and the Qiddiya Investment Company.
Negotiations have focused on siting the complex on the grounds of the former Mirapolis park in Courdimanche. Opened in 1987 as a folklore-themed destination five years prior to Disneyland Paris, Mirapolis closed permanently in 1991 after drawing only 800,000 visitors in its debut year against a target of two million. More than three decades later, the abandoned site is slated for a complete structural reimagining.
What We Know About the Proposed Dragon Ball Park
While the broader three-park framework is official, exact layouts and a definitive distribution of themes remain under wraps. The Élysée confirmed that one of the parks will highlight manga culture, with Dragon Ball holding a central place in the preliminary planning. No official blueprints, attraction manifests, or zoning breakdowns have been released yet.
However, the involvement of Qiddiya Investment Company signals massive structural ambitions. Qiddiya is already constructing the first park in the world entirely dedicated to Dragon Ball in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Toei Animation. That Middle Eastern installation features seven distinct zones mirroring the seven Dragon Balls, over thirty rides, themed hotels, restaurants, and a 70-meter-tall representation of Shenron housing a specialized thrill attraction. It remains unconfirmed whether the French iteration will adopt this specific blueprint, but the scale of the ongoing Saudi projects illustrates the financial weight backing the IP.
The Path Forward and Local Hurdles
Despite the official signing of the protocol, construction is still years away from welcoming guests. No opening date has been published, and critical questions regarding transport infrastructure, environmental impact assessments, and local public consultations still need to be addressed. Local elected officials have already pointed out that transit bottlenecks played a major role in the downfall of the original Mirapolis project.
For pop culture enthusiasts, the August 24 milestone marks a major turning point. As negotiations translate into administrative planning, the works of Akira Toriyama stand at the center of one of the largest leisure industry investments in French history. Stakeholders will now wait to see how Qiddiya deploys Son Goku and his universe at the gates of Paris.
