PARIS — Chaos erupted on the streets of Paris late Saturday after Paris Saint-Germain secured its second-ever UEFA Champions League title, as violent outbursts marred fan festivities, left one police officer injured, and led law enforcement to take 45 people into custody. The historic match, held in Budapest, Hungary, saw PSG edge out Arsenal in a tense penalty shootout that sent tens of thousands of supporters pouring into Parisian public spaces immediately after the final whistle.
Initial gatherings across the capital started as peaceful celebrations: around 20,000 fans flocked to the iconic Champs-Élysées avenue, while dozens more marched along boulevards near the Arc de Triomphe, setting off flares and sounding car horns in collective excitement over the club’s long-awaited win. Police were deployed early to manage crowds and keep movement flowing through the busy tourist district.
But the mood shifted quickly when small, unruly factions split off from the main groups to launch coordinated disturbances across multiple neighborhoods. The Paris Police Prefecture confirmed that vandals targeted local businesses, damaging a nearby bakery and a restaurant, while groups also set unauthorized fires in public areas. In one of the most serious incidents, a crowd attempted to force entry into a police station located in the upscale 8th Arrondissement. Officers quickly intervened to disperse the group and secure the building, though one officer was hurt during the clashes.
Elsewhere in the city, protesters briefly blockaded Paris’s peripheral ring road before police moved in to clear the thoroughfare. Near PSG’s home stadium in the 16th Arrondissement, law enforcement contained an unsanctioned gathering of roughly 1,000 fans and dismantled barricades constructed from stolen bicycles. By 10 p.m. local time, officials confirmed that 45 people had been detained in connection with the unrest.
The chaotic scenes echo similar violence that followed PSG’s first Champions League title win in May of the previous year, when authorities made more than 500 arrests across France. To prevent widespread disorder this year, the city had already activated high-security protocols, drawing parallels to the 8,000 officers deployed across Paris last season. The unrest has once again sparked conversations about crowd management and fan behavior following major elite football matches in the French capital.