PARIS—The rioting that often accompanies French soccer teams’ successes on the soccer field is itself becoming a political football as President Emmanuel Macron and his rivals jockey for position following the mayhem sparked by Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final.
The capital erupted late Saturday with honking car horns and fireworks as thousands of soccer fans took to the streets waving PSG flags after the Parisian team won its second successive title in Europe’s premier club competition, defeating London-based Arsenal in a penalty shootout in Budapest.
As is often the case, the celebrations quickly turned to violence around the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Elysées avenue as rioters began torching cars and vandalizing stores. Police responded with tear gas to disperse crowds. More than 200 people were injured and 890 nationwide were detained by police over the weekend, according to the French Interior Ministry.
French authorities said small factions used the game as cover to loot property and provoke the police. Macron, the president, said on Sunday that French people shouldn’t have to become accustomed to such scenes.
“That’s not soccer, that’s not sports, that’s not what we love, “ he said, adding that the government will be unyielding with those who have been caught. “We don’t want to see that anymore. It’s over. We’ve had enough,” he said, standing alongside the Paris Saint-Germain team, who were received at the Élysée presidential palace on Sunday.
Soccer Football – UEFA Champions League – Paris St Germain celebrate winning the UEFA Champions League Final – Parc des Princes, Paris, France – May 31, 2026 Paris St Germain fans with flares celebrate after winning the UEFA Champions League Final REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
Last year, more than 260 cars were burned and around 600 people were detained after celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain securing its first Champions League title spilled over into rioting and clashes with police. Nationwide, two people died and more than 190 were injured.
With the World Cup approaching this month, the violence is becoming an increasingly political issue. In recent years, other moments of collective celebration have routinely spiraled into violence.
Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old president of the far-right National Rally, seized on the turmoil Monday, framing the riots as “scenes of civil war” and blamed the government for the chaos.
“They’re destroying everything in their path, smashing up stores, tearing down bus shelters, burning cars, and then looting,” Bardella said in a TV interview. “I’m telling the French people, ‘Wake up,’ because before long, they’ll be breaking down the doors of apartment buildings and breaking into your homes,” he added.
Bardella is poised to become his party’s standard-bearer in next year’s presidential election if an appeals court next month upholds a ruling banning far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for public office over embezzlement charges. He is already campaigning on a hard-line pledge to restore state authority and to increase police numbers.
Saturday’s riots marked a new escalation in violence, said French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Thousands of police officers were deployed across the country for the game as authorities prepared for unrest, but were themselves the target of “systematic attacks, including the throwing of projectiles and mortar rounds that exploded,” he said on Monday.
A young man in his 20s died on the sidelines of celebrations on Saturday after crashing his motorcycle into concrete blocks placed on an exit ramp of the Paris ring road, according to local prosecutors.
Certain individuals—often young men seeking to vent frustration with the government or engage in cat-and-mouse games with the police—have come to view events like Paris Saint-Germain matches as ideal opportunities because there will be enough people looking for trouble to get away with it, said Jérôme Fourquet, a director at the French polling firm Ifop.
“Once you’ve opened that window, it’s difficult to close it,” he said.
Other recent sports events have triggered chaos in France. Clashes erupted in Paris during the Africa Cup of Nations that was held in late 2025 and earlier this year. In 2022, police detained more than 200 people after France lost to Argentina in the final of the soccer World Cup. Over the past decade, urban violence has also become a recurring issue during New Year Eve’s, Bastille Day and Halloween celebrations.
“It’s become a sinister tradition at every public gathering,” Paris conservative Senator Agnès Evren, said on Monday. “A tiny minority ruins the party for everyone,” she added.
