The night of 30–31 May 2026 went down as one of the most chaotic after a club triumph in France. After Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal in the Champions League final (1:1, 4:3 on penalties), the joyful celebrations of fans quickly turned into real street riots.
In Paris, on the Champs-Élysées, around the Arc de Triomphe and near the Parc des Princes, there were mass acts of vandalism. Groups of fans (and others) set fire to cars, Lime city bikes, containers and rubbish bins. Shops were looted, shop windows smashed, and flares were thrown at the police. There were even attempts to storm police stations.
According to French authorities, more than 400–800 people were detained across the country (depending on the source), including more than 280 in the Paris region alone. Several officers were injured, one of them seriously. Police used tear gas and anti-terrorist units. Ahead of the match, as many as 22,000 officers had been deployed, precisely out of fear of scenes like these.
Similar incidents also occurred in other cities, including Rennes, Clermont-Ferrand and Strasbourg.
This is not the first time that a victory by PSG or the France national team has ended in such scenes. Many commentators in France openly speak of the problem of “ultras”, a lack of discipline and broader social problems that periodically erupt precisely during major sporting events.
French media and politicians have already begun debating who failed to get the situation under control, and why, despite the huge police presence.
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