Every great football club in Europe has an iconic stadium that has hosted historic moments over the years. For Paris Saint-Germain, that stadium is the Parc des Princes located in the 16th arrondissement.
The 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes has been the home of PSG since 1974. Since then, the club has won Ligue 1, Coupe de la Ligue, and Coupe de France titles to add to its trophy cabinet. They’ve also welcomed new sponsors, such as Qatar Airways, GOAT, Ooredoo, and Socios.
The Parc des Princes was designed by architect Roger Taillibert and artist Siavash Teimouri. Its unique exterior, which looks like concrete ribs, contributes to the acoustics inside the stadium as the supporters sing in support of Paris Saint-Germain.
The first match PSG played at the Parc des Princes was on November 10, 1973, against Red Star, which PSG won 3-1, and the first goal at the stadium was scored by Othniel Dossevi. Since that goal, many other superstars have scored for PSG, including Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, George Weah, Pauleta, and Rai.
In addition to Paris Saint-Germain home football matches, the Parc des Princes has also hosted other historic football and non-football events. It served as a venue during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019, the UEFA European Championship in 2018, and the final for the UEFA Champions League in 1981.
In 1988, the Parc des Princes hosted its first concert when Michael Jackson performed for a sold out crowd. Other music acts that have taken the stage include The Rolling Stones, Prince, Johnny Hallyday, David Bowie, and U2. DJ Snake, a well-known Paris Saint-Germain supporter, performed at the Parc des Princes in 2022.
Despite a rich history, the Parc des Princes may not be where PSG plays its home matches in the future due to an ongoing dispute with the mayor of Paris.
PSG currently has a lease to remain at the Parc des Princes until 2043, and has worked to renovate the stadium to add updated changing rooms, additional seating, and more hospitality suites. However, because the stadium is owned by the city, the club shares some of the income from game day with the city. PSG is also limited in how many seats they can add. This has led to them wanting to buy the Parc des Princes and renovate further.
Due to its historic nature, the city of Paris does not want to sell the Parc des Princes to PSG, and after months of discussion, the club has decided to leave for a new home. In order to be one of the elite European clubs, PSG would like to play in a 60,000 seat state-of-the-art stadium and since they can’t buy the Parc des Princes and renovate it to accommodate this desire, they are currently looking at alternative options.
While PSG will likely find another existing stadium to purchase, or find land to build one on, what will be lost is the memories created at the Parc des Princes. It may not have the amenities of other modern stadiums, but it has incredible acoustics that during matchday, make it one of the most intimidating places to play in Europe.
It will still be years before PSG leaves the Parc des Princes, so supporters will have to create several more memories before it all goes away.
