PSG in Champions League final, will Paris celebrations descend into chaos again? | OneFootball

France will deploy 22,000 police and gendarmes as Paris braces for the Champions League final, a year after unrest marred PSG's first triumph.

In Paris, 8,000 officers will be on duty on Saturday night, up from 5,400 in 2025, with 2,500 firefighters mobilised. According to Le Progres, prosecutors will expand weekend cover to process arrests and speed immediate trials. The deployment dwarfs the 2,200 officers used for last Saturday's Coupe de France final between Lens and Nice.

PSG face Arsenal in Budapest, but the match is only part of a crowded Saturday. Aya Nakamura plays Stade de France, Bouss is at Accor Arena and Damso at La Défense Arena. Around 140,000 spectators are expected, plus PSG fans, with Paris-Strasbourg basketball at 15:30 and Roland-Garros.

Kick-off is at 18:00 rather than the usual 21:00, extending the evening and the window for post-match trouble. Attention will focus on the Champs-Élysées, where several hundred thousand people could gather if PSG win. The avenue will be sealed and terraces removed to limit damage.

A limited level of disorder followed the Bayern semi-final in early May. Last year brought far worse, with two deaths during celebrations and looting in central Paris. A 17-year-old was fatally stabbed in Dax, while in the 7th arrondissement a 23-year-old died in a scooter collision.

The Interior Ministry later recorded 192 injured, four seriously, plus 563 arrests nationwide and 307 in custody. A victory party is expected at the Champ de Mars by the Eiffel Tower, though nothing is official.

Source: Le Progres