Riots break out in Paris within minutes of Champions League final kicking off as thousands of French police officers brace for night of chaos

Published: 18:53, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 18:59, 30 May 2026 Riots broke out in the French capital just minutes after Arsenal took the lead against PSG in the Champions League.  Arsenal forward Kai Havertz sparked scenes of chaos on the streets of Paris as he thundered his strike into the roof of the net within just five minutes.  The Gunners are hoping to take home their second trophy of the season, after winning the Premier League last week, while PSG are hoping to win the coveted trophy for the second year in a row. Scenes of violence turned into jubilation in Paris in the second half after star forward Ousmane Dembele equalised with a cooly taken penalty in the 65th minute.  French police were using tear gas and baton charges against crowds in Paris who had gathered to watch the game on TV screens outside bars and cafés in sweltering heat on Saturday afternoon. Some supporters have also been arrested by police in full riot gear.  ‘The trouble started as soon as Arsenal went one-nil up,’ said an onlooker. ‘Chairs and bottles were thrown at the police, who then moved in to make arrests.’ Some Paris St Germain fans managed to climb up scaffolding on a building close to the Rue de Rivoli – one of the main shopping streets in the French capital. This led to further trouble as officers tried to get them down. Riots broke out in the French capital just minutes after Arsenal took the lead against PSG in the Champions League In dramatic scenes in the French capital, PSG supporters have been arrested by police in full riot gear  Firefighters in Paris were seen working to put out flares set off by PSG fans Jubilant Arsenal fans react to the earlier goal from Troussard outside the Emirates  Meanwhile, outside the Emirates, hundreds of Arsenal fans reacted jubilantly to Havertz's goal by setting off red flares.   In Paris, there were further skirmishes throughout the first half of the game, as some cafés turned off their televisions. Hundreds of tourists visiting nearby monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre museum also found themselves caught up in the trouble. Firefighters in Paris were seen working to put out flares set off by PSG fans.  There were some 5,000 police and gendarmes on the streets of Paris on Saturday to police crowds gathering to watch the Budapest final. Football violence is becoming an increasing problem across France. Some 43 people were arrested when Paris St Germain beat Arsenal to reach the European Champions League football final a year ago. Rioting broke out in Paris, and in other parts of France, as hooded youths fought running battles with riot police. The worst incident took place close to the Champs Elysées when a car ploughed into a group of fans. While many Paris fans have travelled to Hungary this year, tens of thousands more remained on the streets of the French capital. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.