PSG history · 1974
The Parc des Princes, home of Paris Saint-Germain
Rebuilt by architect Roger Taillibert and opened in 1972, the Parc des Princes became Paris Saint-Germain's home in 1974. A look back at the history of a stadium that has become inseparable from the club.
A place steeped in history before PSG
Long before Paris Saint-Germain arrived, the Parc des Princes held a special place in French sport. In the late 19th century, the site, on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, was home to a velodrome. For decades it served, among other things, as the finish of the Tour de France, until 1967.
Football and rugby also made it their home. A first stadium was built there in the 1930s, and the ageing ground then had to be rethought when the Boulevard Périphérique ring road, which runs directly beneath it, was being built.
The work of Roger Taillibert
The City of Paris entrusted the project to architect Roger Taillibert. He designed an entirely new stadium, daring for its time, which would become one of the most recognisable architectural landmarks in the capital.
Its main features:
- a prestressed concrete frame, punctuated by some fifty large ribs encircling the building;
- a cantilevered roof covering the stands without a single pillar obstructing spectators' view;
- stands very close to the pitch, with no athletics track;
- a capacity of around 48,000.
The new Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, hosting the Coupe de France final won by Olympique de Marseille against Bastia (2-1).
1974: PSG move in
Paris Saint-Germain, founded in 1970, had turbulent beginnings. In 1974, the club returned to the top flight after winning its promotion play-off against Valenciennes. It was from that season onwards that PSG made the Parc des Princes their home ground.
The choice was an obvious one: the capital had a modern stadium, and the club aspired to become the standard-bearer of Parisian football. Season after season, the Parc became the stage for the main chapters of its history: the first domestic cups in the 1980s, the first French league title in 1986, the European campaigns of the 1990s, and then the era of global superstars from the 2010s onwards.
A stadium for the big occasions too
Until the Stade de France opened in 1998, the Parc des Princes was also the home of the France national football and rugby teams. It hosted the final of the 1984 European Championship, won by France against Spain (2-0), as well as matches at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2016.
This dual role further strengthened its status as an iconic venue in French sport.
Auteuil and Boulogne: two ends, one identity
Much of the Parc's soul lies in its two ends. From the late 1970s, supporters gathered in the Boulogne stand, which formed the first genuine Parisian kop. In the 1990s, the Virage Auteuil in turn organised itself around ultras groups.
For years, the rivalry between the two stands set the rhythm of life at the stadium, with chants, tifos and spectacular displays. It also had its episodes of violence. After the death of a supporter in 2010, the club introduced a plan that led to the disappearance of the organised groups and a profound change in the atmosphere.
The ultras returned to the Parc in autumn 2016, united within the Collectif Ultras Paris, based mainly in the Virage Auteuil. Atmosphere in the stands once again became one of the stadium's hallmarks.
A home inseparable from the club
Owned by the City of Paris, the Parc des Princes has been modernised several times to meet the demands of modern football, without altering the silhouette designed by Roger Taillibert.
Since 1974, Paris Saint-Germain's history has been written within these walls. For several generations of supporters, the Parc is not just a stadium: it is the club's home.