French police arrested 416 people across the country on Saturday night following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Arsenal in the Champions League final, according to the French Ministry of the Interior. The unrest, which saw 283 arrests in Paris alone by 1:30 a.m. local time, marred what was intended to be a national celebration of the club's second consecutive European title.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that seven police officers were injured during the night, including one officer who sustained a serious head injury in the city of Agen. Describing the violence as "absolutely unacceptable," Nuñez stated that the riots broke out in approximately 15 cities, with significant disturbances reported in Rennes, Strasbourg, Clermont-Ferrand, and Grenoble.
In Paris, the atmosphere shifted from celebration to chaos as roughly 20,000 fans gathered on the Champs-Élysées. While authorities had deployed 22,000 police and gendarmes nationwide—with 8,000 concentrated in the capital—the security presence struggled to contain pockets of agitators. Rioters set off fireworks, burned electric bikes, and smashed shopfronts, while police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Al Jazeera reported that rioters also stormed the Boulevard Périphérique, the city's main ring road, forcing a temporary halt to traffic. Additional damage was reported at the Parc des Princes, the club's home stadium, where clashes occurred earlier in the day during public screenings of the match. Authorities confirmed that at least six vehicles, two businesses, and a bus shelter were destroyed during the night, while two dozen flares and approximately 100 fireworks were seized by police.
The violence echoed the aftermath of the club's 2025 triumph, which resulted in two deaths and nearly 200 injuries, including one officer who remains in a coma. Following these events, far-right leader Marine Le Pen criticized the government’s handling of the situation on X, writing: "Only in France does a football club's victory spark riots." Other political figures, such as Eric Ciotti, called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, labeling them "barbarians."
Despite the scale of the unrest, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that official victory celebrations will proceed as planned on Sunday. The team is scheduled to appear at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower, with an expected crowd of 90,000 people. "No there is no possibility of canceling the celebrations," Nuñez said, noting that the event will operate under a strict security perimeter with mandatory entrance checks.
