French police arrested more than 400 people in Paris during post-match celebrations after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, 31 May, making the French club the first in history to win the competition twice. The victory, sealed at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, sent hundreds of thousands of supporters into the streets of the French capital.

Crowd Unrest on the Champs-Élysées

According to Le Monde, citing police sources, more than 20,000 people had gathered on the Champs-Élysées by approximately 10:30 pm on Saturday evening as officers conducted crowd-control operations. One police officer was injured during the night, a kiosk near the avenue was set on fire — later extinguished — and at least six vehicles were damaged. The French government had pre-emptively deployed 22,000 police officers across the capital to maintain order.

Historic Win for PSG and Luis Enrique

Paris Saint-Germain become the first French club ever to win the Champions League twice, and only the second European club to claim the title in back-to-back seasons. The victory adds a 60th trophy to the club's cabinet overall — 42 of them arriving since Qatar Sports Investments took ownership in 2011. PSG also become only the second team in the 21st century to reach consecutive Champions League finals while simultaneously winning their domestic league, following Manchester United in 2008–09.

Manager Luis Enrique, now the most successful coach in PSG's history with 12 trophies, guided his side to an exceptional campaign in which they scored 45 goals across the competition — an average of 2.8 goals per match. Only FC Barcelona in 1999–2000 matched that tally in a single Champions League edition.

Sunday Parade Expected to Draw 100,000

The mayor's office of Paris's 15th arrondissement announced on Saturday evening that nearly 100,000 people were expected to gather at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, on Sunday for a celebratory PSG parade. The scale of the expected turnout underscores the city's deep emotional investment in the club's European ambitions.

Shadow of Last Year's Tragedy

The security operation this year was notably larger than in 2024, when PSG won the Champions League for the first time by defeating Inter Milan. That night's celebrations turned deadly — two people died and close to 200 were injured in the unrest that followed. Authorities were determined to prevent a repeat, though the 400-plus arrests this time indicate that crowd management remained a serious challenge despite the heightened deployment.