PSG fans celebrate the day after winning the Champions League title, at the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Emma Da Silva/AP
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Emma Da Silva/AP
PARIS — On Sunday, a large crowd gathered near the Eiffel Tower to peacefully celebrate Paris Saint-Germain’s second Champions League title win. However, the celebration was overshadowed by violent incidents across France overnight, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, 780 people were arrested in Paris and other cities, with 57 officers sustaining mostly minor injuries as fires were set and shops vandalized during the night.
Nuñez reported at a news conference on Sunday that “the situation has been largely brought under control.”
He added that “most of the celebrations took place peacefully” across Paris, although incidents mainly occurred in the Champs Elysees area and near the Parc des Princes stadium, where fans gathered to watch the match.
Following the final whistle on Saturday night in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain triumphed over Arsenal in a dramatic penalty shootout, celebrations erupted in Paris. Fans marched near the Arc de Triomphe, setting off flares and honking car horns. Approximately 20,000 gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police managed the crowd.
Artists perform ahead of PSG’s celebrations the day after winning the Champions League title, at the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Emma Da Silva/AP
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The planned celebrations on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, proceeded as expected. Nunez emphasized that police would act decisively against any violence.
With the iconic Eiffel Tower as the backdrop, the event drew up to 100,000 fans under heightened security. After returning late from Budapest, PSG players, led by captain Marquinhos, coach Luis Enrique, and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, were met with enthusiastic cheers as their club anthem played. The players took turns lifting the trophy, enjoying the warm reception from their fans.
Macron appeals for an end to violence
Later, the team was invited to the Elysee presidential palace by French President Emmanuel Macron, who denounced the violence.
“I don’t want that we get used to it,” Macron said at the ceremony. “This is not soccer, this is not sport, this is not what we love. We will be uncompromising with those who have been caught. We do not want to see this happen again. It’s over. We’ve had enough. This must end.”
Nuñez reported that incidents occurred in about 15 cities across France, with “one to two” shops vandalized in each city outside of Paris. In total, 780 people were detained, with 480 arrests in the Paris area alone.
Police stepped in five times overnight to prevent traffic obstructions on Paris’s main ring road. In one incident, a driver lost control of a car and crashed into a restaurant’s terrace, injuring two people, one seriously, Nuñez said. “We will be uncompromising with those who have been caught. We do not want to see this happen again. It’s over. We’ve had enough. This must end.”
Paris police detain hundreds
The Paris prosecutors’ office stated that 306 individuals, including 81 minors, have been formally taken into custody for alleged offenses. Most charges are related to assaults on police officers, with other allegations including theft, vandalism, and disturbing public order. Additionally, 40 police officers were injured.
A car burns as PSG supporters celebrate in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026 after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal that’s being played in Budapest., PSG won the game.
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Thomas Padilla/AP
The Paris police department reported disturbances caused by smaller groups in various parts of the city, with incidents of vandalism and fires set in the streets. Some attempted to storm a police station in the upscale 8th Arrondissement but were dispersed.
“The vast majority of Parisians celebrated it with joy, unity, and respect,” Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said on Sunday in a message on X, while condemning violence “in the strongest possible terms.”
Following PSG’s first Champions League title win in May 2025, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.
