PSG parade Champions League trophy through Paris as Macron welcomes back-to-back European champions
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Paris Saint-Germain paraded the Champions League trophy through the capital on 31 May, a day after their 4-3 penalty-shootout win over Arsenal in Budapest. France 24 reports up to 100,000 supporters gathered around the Champ de Mars and Eiffel Tower under heavy security; the squad was received by President Emmanuel Macron before a second open event at the Parc des Princes. It is PSG's second consecutive European title.
The festivities followed a difficult overnight period. According to France 24 and CNN, French authorities recorded 780 detentions, more than 280 injuries and opened an investigation after one fatality during celebrations across the country. NPR notes the daytime parade itself passed peacefully under the heightened policing.
PSG had already sealed their domestic crown on 13 May with a 2-0 win at Lens, a record-extending 14th Ligue 1 title and a fifth in a row. The 2025/26 season closed on 17 May with the side's away trip to Paris FC. The 2026/27 Ligue 1 campaign returns after the FIFA World Cup, with the league's August calendar to be confirmed by the LFP.
Ousmane Dembélé, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, has emerged as the front-running candidate for the 2026 edition after PSG's title defence, according to Goal and Bolavip. The Frenchman scored the equaliser in the Munich final and is set to lead France's attack at the World Cup, where the trophy race continues into the summer.
Transfer and squad notes
Marseille are willing to listen to offers for Mason Greenwood after a 22-goal Ligue 1 season, beIN Sports reported on 29 May. The English forward, signed permanently from Manchester United last summer, has Premier League suitors and is among the assets l'OM are prepared to monetise as they refresh their squad for the Champions League group stage.
Lyon and Marseille are competing for Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, whose contract at LOSC expires this summer, per Get French Football News. The 31-year-old former Spurs midfielder is also being tracked by Premier League sides, with the prospect of a free transfer accelerating talks.
Roggerio Nyakossi (22) is being chased by Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg, with Premier League, Bundesliga and Eredivisie clubs also tracking the centre-back, Get French Football News reports. The trio of Ligue 1 sides are all running parallel processes ahead of the window's official opening.
The 2026/27 Ligue 1 line-up has been confirmed: Metz and Nantes go down, while Troyes and Le Mans return to the top flight after three- and 17-year absences respectively, per Wikipedia compilations of league-confirmed results.
What it means for the league
PSG go into the summer as French and European champions for a second straight year, with Dembélé central to both the club's identity and the Ballon d'Or conversation; their dominance has narrowed Ligue 1's competitive frame even as Lens, Monaco and Lille fill the Champions League quotas. Marseille's openness to selling Greenwood reframes the window — funded sales rather than headline signings — while Lyon and Le Havre face squad rebuilds. Troyes and Le Mans return with smaller budgets than the relegated Nantes and Metz, deepening the divide between top and bottom.