Paris. The city of love, 2 million people, the Eiffel Tower, Euro Disney and surprisingly few football grounds. That doesn't mean it's not worth a visit though - there's still plenty to see...
1 hour 25 mins • 360 miles • Late August - late May • French • Euro (€)
France's National Stadium is located 5 miles north of the city centre in the suburb of Saint-Denis, easily accessible through the city's Metro system.
Originally built for the 1998 World Cup, the Stade de France is the largest stadium in the country and 8th largest in Europe with a capacity of 80,698. The UEFA Category 4 stadium was built at a cost of €290m and is approved to host European football's most prestigious events including the Champions League final, World Cup finals and European Championship finals - all of which it has done in its 20 year history.
Some interesting facts about the Stade de France:
Stade de France 80,698 capacity • 7,407 visits logged •
The Parc des Princes the largest club ground in Paris and has been home to Paris St Germain since 1974. The capacity of 47,929 makes it the 5th largest football stadium in France (after the Stade de France, Marseille's Stade Velodrome, Lyon's Parc Olympique Lyonnais and Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy). With PSG now a major player in European football, the club are looking to expand the stadium to increase match day revenue - with plans on the table to increase capacity to 60,000.
The current ground is actually the 3rd to be built on the site, following earlier ones opened in 1897 and 1932. The previous stadiums had a strong connection to cycling - the cycle track around the pitch doubled up as the finishing line of the Tour de France from 1903 to 1967.
The ground also has a rich footballing history. It was the home of the French National team before the Stade de France opened. It has also hosted a number of major tournaments including World Cups in 1938 and 1998, Euro 1984 and Euro 2016. It also hosted the first ever European Cup Final in 1958 as Real Madrid beat Stade de Reins 4-3.
Parc des Princes 47,929 capacity • 6,094 visits logged •
It is also just across the road from...
The Stade Jean Bouin is the home stadium of rugby side Stade Francais. I wouldn't usually include an egg-chasing ground in a guide like this however I'll make an exception for 3 reasons: 1. It used to be the temporary home of Red Star FC; 2. It used to be the home of PSG's women's team; 3. It is situated right next door to the Parc des Princes.
So, if you're going to check out PSG's ground, you pretty much guaranteed to see the Stade Jean Bouin.
Stade Jean Bouin Paris 20,000 capacity • 48 visits logged •
Home to both Paris FC and Paris St Germain Feminine, the Stade Sebastien Charlety is an oval-shaped 20,000 seater stadium located to the south of the capital.
The running track around the pitch means that fans are sat a fair distance from the action and it's unsurprising to learn that the stadium is used for athletics in the summer months. As is (seemingly) quite customary for grounds in Paris, the stadium also has a long rugby history with several major matches staged there in the past, including egg-chasing World Cup games.
Somewhat more interesting is the fact that another stadium is built underneath it. The 1,850 Salle Pierre Charpy is the home of Paris Volleyball.
Stade Sebastien Charlety 20,000 capacity • 176 visits logged •
Also known as Stade de Paris, Stade Bauer is located to the north of the city centre, just a couple of miles away from the Stade de France.
Originally opened in 1909, the 10,000 capacity stadium is home to Red Star FC. The club have been languishing in the French second and third divisions in recent years, but past glories have seen them win the Coupe de France (French FA Cup) on 5 occasions, including a hat-trick of wins in the early 1920s. The team last lifted the trophy in 1948.
Stade Bauer 10,000 capacity • 109 visits logged •
The Yves-du-Manoir is home to Racing Colombes 92 who currently ply their trade in the fifth tier of French football. Opened in 1907, this 14,000 capacity venue is located in the suburb of Colombes to the north west of Paris.
The stadium hosts a number of sports including football, athletics and (of course) rugby. It was used as the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics when it had a capacity of 45,000.
As a side note, Racing are one of oldest clubs in France, founded back in 1882. They are also one of the founder members of Ligue 1, the top level of football in the country.
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir 14,000 capacity • 21 visits logged
Home to Creteil-Lusitanos, the Stade Dominique Duvauchelle is a 12,000 capacity stadium located to the south east of Paris, first opened in 1983. It was named after a local journalist who died in a car accident shortly before it was completed.
Also used for athletics, the stadium's record attendance was set for a friendly match between Cameroon and Senegal back in 2005, drawing a sell out crowd of 12,000.
Stade Dominique Duvauchelle 12,050 capacity • 83 visits logged •
The last of our major grounds in Paris is the Stade Robert Bobin. This one is a little further out, at around 25 miles south of the city centre but is the current home of Paris FC Feminine.
This 18,850 capacity stadium was built in 1993 and hosts rugby and athletics as well as football. In the 90s it was a regular venue for American football as well.
The stadium's record attendance of 18,500 was set in 2004 when PSG played Juventus in a pre-season friendly.
Stade Robert Bobin 18,850 capacity • 3 visits logged •
One of Paris' largest attractions is Disneyland (or EuroDisney as it used to be called, or DLP if you're down with the cool Disney kids). It's located around 45 miles east of Paris, but only has a couple of grounds nearby if you're wanting to escape the "happiest place on Earth" for a spot of groundhopping...
If you'd rather visit one of the largest stadiums that Paris has to offer, a train from Disney to the centre of the capital will take around 35 minutes. Note that Disney has an on-site train station (Marne-la-Valle-Chessy) making a day out to a match in another city a very real possibility. Some of the biggest cities in France are easy to get to with direct trains to...
This does come with a quick warning though - the 4 options above are all relatively new stadiums, so don't expect a 5 minute walk from the train station the stadium. They're all located away from the city centre.
Rob is the owner of footballgroundmap.com. A Sheffield United fan and father of two, Rob loves nothing more than a good game of football whether that's watching the Blades or one his local non-League teams. He's somewhat of a traditionalist, preferring the older grounds to newer purpose-built ones.
Away from footballgroundmap.com, Rob works as an Ecommerce Development Project Manager for one of the UK's largest clothing retailers. He also owns and runs kick22.com, a system which allows junior and non-League clubs to create their own low cost website.
Sheffield United supporter • 107 grounds visited • 57/92
The 91 biggest football stadiums in Europe. From Manchester to Munich, Villa Park to Valencia - each one with a capacity over 40,000
Taking my son to his first football match was one of the best experiences I've had as a father so far. I've written this article for Alex to read when he gets older.
An in-depth look at the biggest football attendances ever recorded, from the 1950 World Cup to pre-season friendlies in the States and the Scottish ground with dozens of 100,000+ attendances
Tony Incenzo has been to over 2,000 football grounds - is he the world's barmiest football fan? Read about his love for Non-League football and groundhopping obsession, including watching a match in prison!