After a thrilling semi-final victory against Bayern Munich (5-6 on aggregate), Paris Saint-Germain secured their place in the 2025-2026 Champions League final on May 30th in Budapest against Arsenal (kick-off at 6 pm, CET). Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire immediately announced his intention to set up a fan zone. Le Parisien reported on Monday that he had abandoned the project due to resistance from the police prefecture.
“For me, what matters most is the safety of Parisians and spectators.”
“I have obviously heard the concerns of the police prefecture, and I know that the Minister of the Interior shares them. Reason compels me to listen to them. Because that weekend, there is a concentration of events almost unprecedented in history at such a time. We have 80,000 people at the Stade de France, 40,000 at La Défense Arena, 15,000 or 16,000 at Bercy (Accor Arena), and probably, of course, the Parc des Princes, which will be open. We also have a Stade Français match at Jean-Bouin.
“For me, what matters most is the safety of Parisians and spectators. I have to admit that the concentration of events makes it difficult to mobilize security forces for all of them simultaneously,” remarks reported by Le Parisien.
” There’s really no surprise, given the feeling that Emmanuel Grégoire had rushed into this potential fan zone in Paris. It wasn’t possible last year and remains a significant security complication, especially with other major events planned in the capital.
PSG supporters will likely have the option of going to the Parc des Princes, as they did for last season’s final. This is already a great opportunity for fans of the club. Law enforcement will also be present, but their presence will be more limited than in a “free” fan zone. The disturbances surrounding the second leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich also don’t help in securing this freedom.
