STADIUMS
Parc des Princes
Paris Saint Germain
Long before becoming the home of Paris Saint-Germain, the Parc des Princes was a royal retreat and a landmark of French cycling. Opened in its current form in 1972, it combines striking modernist architecture with more than a century of sporting history.
- CITY
- Paris
- COUNTRY
- France
- OPENED
- 1972
- CAPACITY
- 48,583
- STATUS
- In use
THE STORY
Located in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, the Parc des Princes has been the home of Paris Saint-Germain since 1974, but its story began long before the club arrived.
The original stadium opened in 1897 as a velodrome, hosting major cycling events and serving as the finishing point of the Tour de France from 1903 to 1967. Its name, meaning “Princes’ Park”, comes from the area’s historic association with French royalty: the grounds near the Bois de Boulogne were once used by princes and members of the royal court for hunting and recreation.
The present stadium was inaugurated on 25 May 1972, designed by architect Roger Taillibert, whose sweeping roof and exposed concrete ribs created one of European football’s most distinctive architectural silhouettes. With a capacity of 48,583, its steep stands bring supporters close to the pitch, helping generate the intense acoustics for which the ground is famous.
Before becoming synonymous with PSG, the Parc des Princes was a major landmark in French cycling history, hosting the finish of the Tour de France for more than six decades. Its identity therefore reaches beyond football, combining royal history, cycling heritage, modernist architecture and generations of Parisian sporting culture.