More than 400 people were arrested across France and seven police officers injured, one seriously, after celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain’s second consecutive Champions League title descended into chaos. An estimated 20,000 supporters packed the Champs-Élysées, but as night fell, the jubilation gave way to vandalism, arson and running battles with riot police in at least fifteen cities. The match, played in Budapest, saw PSG beat Arsenal on penalties, but the real drama unfolded at home, where groups set fire to cars and scooters, smashed shopfronts and looted a bakery and restaurant. Fireworks were launched at police lines, and a crowd of around 150 people attempted to storm a police station in the 8th arrondissement.

Emergency services pulled an unconscious fan from the Seine near the Île Saint-Louis; another was stabbed near Place de la République. Authorities said the violence erupted even before the final whistle, when ticketless fans tried to force their way into a screening at the Parc des Princes. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez condemned the violence as ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and praised the 22,000 officers deployed nationwide—8,000 in Paris alone—who made 416 arrests, 283 of them in the capital. The security operation was significantly larger than last year’s, when 5,400 officers were on duty and 563 people were detained after similar scenes of looting and vandalism marred the club’s first European triumph.

Viewed from London, the disturbances reinforce concerns about a recurring pattern of football-related urban violence in France, where large gatherings—even triumphant ones—can be exploited by organised groups. Analysts in Paris note that while the majority of fans celebrated peacefully, a hard core of several hundred, often masked, hijacked the event. The repeat of scenes from 2025 raises uncomfortable questions for authorities ahead of next year’s tournament, particularly with Paris set to host matches. For now, the clean-up begins, but the images of burning bicycles on the boulevards will linger as a reminder of the fragility of public order in moments of mass euphoria.