On a night of excitement after PSG’s victory in the Champions League held in Budapest (Hungary), the club’s fans saw the celebration marred by a wave of riots in France. Thousands of fans took to the streets across the country after a penalty shootout against Arsenal that crowned the Parisian club. However, the celebration led to acts of vandalism and confrontations with the French police.
The latest data provided by the Ministry of the Interior have confirmed that the French police have detained 416 people in the national territory, with the majority of these detainees concentrated in Paris with more than 280 arrested. The Champs-Élysées in the French capital was the scene of the altercations, where around 20,000 fans gathered. Different groups of rioters unleashed chaos in the areas surrounding the Arc de Triomphe. All this from the launching of flares, the burning of containers and vehicles and destruction of businesses. The situation led to a massive group of security forces being deployed, which also caused seven agents to be injured by the impact of fireworks.
A maximum security police deployment to control the celebrations at the Eiffel Tower
The French authorities were on alert after the match between PSG and Arsenal in Budapest to avoid a repeat of the tragic events of last year. It should be remembered that those incidents, which occurred after the 2025 Champions League – in which PSG also won – resulted in two deaths and more than 500 arrests. To prevent a similar scenario this year, the Government deployed a reinforced group of more than 20,000 police officers throughout the country, assigning 8,000 of them exclusively to Paris. Despite the serious events of this year, this operation prevented the number of injuries and material damage from reaching the severity of the previous year.
After this hectic early morning, the agenda of institutional celebrations continues this Sunday. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will officially receive the squad and coaching staff, led by the Spanish Luis Enrique, at the Elysee Palace. After this event, the team will move to the Eiffel Tower, which will be illuminated with the club’s colors and where around 100,000 people are expected to attend.
Some 6,000 police officers deployed today next to the Eiffel Tower
Almost 6,000 police officers will be deployed this Sunday during the march of the PSG players in the area of the Champ de Mars esplanade, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where it is expected that nearly 100,000 Parisian fans will continue celebrating the club’s second Champions League, won last night against Arsenal in the penalty shootout.
This is a somewhat smaller device than the day before, when there were some 8,000 law enforcement personnel, largely concentrated on the Champs-Élysées, where some 20,000 people gathered to watch the final.
On the Champ de Mars, there will be different animations starting at 2:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT) until the new European champions arrive, expectedly around 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT).
After nearly two hours of partying with the fans, the footballers will be received at the Elysee Palace by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at 6:10 p.m. local time (4:10 p.m. GMT). Shortly afterwards, at 6:45 p.m., Macron will make a public statement about PSG’s feat.
At 7:30 p.m. local time, a special evening reception for the champions will be held in the Parc des Princes.
