French police arrested at least 416 people overnight after wild celebrations marking Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) second consecutive Champions League title descended into widespread rioting, vandalism, and clashes with law enforcement.
The violence erupted late Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday following PSG’s dramatic penalty shootout victory against Arsenal in Budapest.
In Paris alone, where around 20,000 fans swarmed the iconic Champs-Élysées, police detained 280 individuals. While the vast majority of football fans celebrated peacefully, smaller, aggressive groups broke away to vandalize property, smash shopfronts, and set fire to electric bikes and trash bins.
The Paris police prefecture reported that a mob briefly blockaded the capital's main ring road, while another group attempted to storm a police station in the affluent 8th Arrondissement before being dispersed with tear gas. Clashes also broke out near the Parc des Princes stadium, where fans had gathered to watch the final on giant screens. Across the capital, at least six vehicles, a bus shelter, and multiple businesses—including a bakery and a restaurant—sustained significant damage.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that seven officers were injured during the operations. Describing the unrest as "absolutely unacceptable," Nuñez noted that while the authorities had deployed a "very robust, very solid system" to avoid a repeat of last year's deadly post-match violence, the scale of the disturbances remained significant.
The chaos quickly drew sharp political reactions. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticized the government's handling of public order, writing on X (formerly Twitter): "Only in France does a football club's victory spark riots. Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence."
Despite the overnight tension, the scheduled victory celebrations are proceeding. The PSG squad is set to participate in an open-top bus parade around the Champ-de-Mars next to the Eiffel Tower, followed by an official presidential reception hosted by Emmanuel Macron.
