Paris witnessed significant unrest ahead of the UEFA Champions League Season 2025-26 playoff match between home team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Atalanta. The incident, which occurred outside the Parc des Princes stadium on September 17, 2025, led to the arrest of 19 individuals following clashes.
Reports from the French newspaper Le Parisien indicated that the violence broke out prior to the anticipated fixture. The majority of those arrested were identified as Atalanta supporters, with some reportedly attempting to conceal their identities during the confrontations to avoid detection.
Authorities swiftly deployed police, public order units, and traffic police to the scene immediately after receiving reports of the escalating conflicts around the stadium. In response to the disorder, officials from Paris Saint-Germain issued a statement confirming that any individuals involved in the conflict would face a long-term ban from entering the Parc des Princes. This decision followed claims that at least one of the arrested individuals was a supporter of a PSG group.
Despite the pre-match unrest, the Champions League fixture proceeded as planned. PSG secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Atalanta, showcasing their strength in the opening match of their Champions League campaign.
This impressive win temporarily placed Luis Enrique’s side at the top of the league table. With seven more matches remaining in the group stage, the competition features 36 teams. According to the new format, the top eight teams automatically advance to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th through 32nd will compete in playoff matches to determine the remaining eight spots in the knockout phase.
