Top facts about Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain

As an all-seater football stadium in Paris, France, the Parc des Princes is exactly located in the southwest of the French capital, within the 16th arrondissement, close to the Stade Jean-Bouin and Stade Roland Garros.

While it has been the home of Paris Saint-Germain since 1974, it has a capacity of 47,929 seats. Moreover, it had been the home of the

national football and rugby union teams prior to the Stade de France opening.

The pitch of The Parc des Princes is enclosed by four covered all-seater stands, formally recognized as Tribune Borelli, Tribune Auteuil, Tribune Paris, and Tribune Boulogne.

While architect Roger Taillibert and Siavash Teimouri developed the current design of the Parc des Princes, it was officially inaugurated on 25 May 1972, with a cost of 80–150 million francs.

It is the third stadium that has been constructed in the area, whereas the first one was opened in 1897 and the second in 1932.

The record home attendance of

at this stadium was set in 1983, with 49,575 audiences observing the club's 2–0 triumph over Waterschei in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals.

Nonetheless, the French national rugby team is the record holder of the stadium's absolute attendance when they beat Wales 31–12 in the 1989 Five Nations Championship, while 50,370 spectators joined the stadium.

Top facts about Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain

Come along with us to provide some further insights into the Top facts about Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain.

History of the original stadium of Parc des Princes (1897–1932)

The stadium was initially called the Stade Vélodrome du Parc des Princes and was inaugurated on July 18, 1897.

Situated in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, this area was a forest park employed by the royal family before the French Revolution; that is why it's called the Parc des Princes.

With over 3,000 seats, the Velodrome has a 728-yard track. The stadium director, Henri Desgrange, was a racing cyclist and creator of the cycling magazine L'Auto (predecessor of L'Équipe).

Le Parc marked the end of the tour in its first version from 1903 to 1967. The 1900 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were taken place in the Parc des Princes.

In 1903, an English team smashed a team comprising of the best Parisian players (11-0) in front of 984 audiences, in what was went down as the first

played in the Parc des Princes.

It was in 1905 that the French national football team played its first home match against Switzerland, which was a 1-0 victory at Le Park.

Thereafter, the stadium hosted the notable new friendly matches, four finals of the USFSA French Championship, the 1919 French Cup final between CASG Paris as well as the Olympique de Paris, while 10,000 spectators were watching it.

The PSG stadium also has a long history of hosting international rugby tournaments. That is to say; in 1906, the French national rugby team competed for its first international match against the New Zealand national rugby team. Moreover, among other tenants, one can suggest Racing Club de France.

By the time of the 1924

in Paris, the stadium's capacity had expanded to 20,000. Yet, it was the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir that hosted the event, following that its capacity had been increased to 60,000 seats.

History of the Second stadium of Parc des Princes (1932–1972)

In the 1930s, the founder of L'Auto, Henri Desgrange, and his business partner, Victor Goddet, carried out a thorough renovation of the Parc des Princes and expanded it to accommodate 45,000 visitors, including 26,000 indoors.

The new stadium was inaugurated on April 19, 1932. However, its capacity was quickly reduced to 38,000 seats for greater comfort.

Le Parc hosted the opening match of the 1938 FIFA World Cup between Switzerland and

, as well as Hungary's semi-final victory over Sweden.

But the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir continued to be more important and hosted the final of the 1938 FIFA World Cup, where Italy beat the Hungarians 4-2 to win the second consecutive World Cup.

After the liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the end of World War II in September 1945, the French Football championship came back while big Parisian clubs of Stade français-Red Star and Racing Paris started to regularly feature at the Parc des Princes.

The Tour de France, which is still equipped with a 454-meter bike track, was not the only major sporting event on the field.

The Park also was the host of the 1954 Rugby World Cup final, in which Great Britain beat France in the first leg of the Rugby World Cup.

Among the top facts about Parc des Princes, it is notable to suggest that in the stadium

grabbed a victory over Stade de Reims in the first-ever European Cup final in 1956 and the 1960 European Nations' Cup Final, in which the Soviet Union claimed the first edition of the tournament after defeating Yugoslavia.

History of the current stadium of Parc des Princes (since 1972)

Designed by French architect Roger Tailibert and

artist Siavash Timuri, the third and current design of the Parc des Princes was innovative at the time, allowing viewers to enjoy incredible sight-lines while not a single one of the seats are further than 45 metres from the pitch.

As one of the amazing

top facts about Parc des Princes

, one can suggest that it was also the first stadium to have an oval roof lighting system. More importantly, until now, it is still admired for its unique acoustics and remarkable concrete ribs or razors.

Moreover, it is heralded in French as 'caisse de résonnance' (`box of sound`), in the light of its compact dimensions and the pressure-cooker atmosphere made by its home supporters so as to be widely regarded as one of the continent's most emblematic and historic places.

Its raw concrete exterior may not be as extraordinary today, in the era of multimedia stadiums. But the razors supporting the concrete shell are still an icon of the local skyline while it can age gracefully, in order to be highly revered as a landmark and legally protected icon of French architecture.

In addition, the seating bowl gives two continuous tiers without obstruction, yet some obstruction has been introduced in the cope of extra fencing of the away enclosure.

The distance from the end zone from the field is considered to be a downfall in as much as the

is designed with rugby in mind and left too much room for a football configuration.

Parc des Princes inauguration

The Parc des Princes was inaugurated on May 25, 1972, for a football match between France and the USSR. The final of the 1972 Coupe de France between

and Bastia took place on 4 June 1972 in the new stadium.

That same year, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which was a merger of Paris Football Club (PFC) and Stade Saint-Germain, got separated so as to lead Paris FC to remain in Ligue 1, whereas PSG who kept their name was administratively ranked in Division 3.

The first match of PSG at Park des Princes occurred on 10 November 1973 when they coped with League 2 rival "Red Star" which was a curtain-raiser for that season's league season between PFC and Sochaux as PSG eventually grabbed 3:1 triumph with Othniel Dossevi netting the club's first goal at the stadium.

Ironically as soon as Paris Saint-Germain came back to

in 1974, Paris FC (PFC) were relegated so as to let PSG move into the Parc des Princes, which up until then had been the home stadium of PFC.

Prior to that, PSG had featured in various stadiums, as the likes of Stade Municipal Georges Lefebvre, Stade Jean-Bouin, Stade Bauer and even Parc des Princes, a few times that season even if PFC was reluctant.

Subsequently, Paris FC and Racing Paris also starred in Parc des Princes while they were in Ligue 1 (until 1990), yet they never managed to reach the record attendance of leaders PSG.

It should not be excluded from our

top facts about Parc des Princes

, that after its opening, it eventually became the largest stadium in France as it has hosted national and international football cup competitions, including all French Football Cups from 1972 to 1997 and three European Club Finals: the 1975 European Cup Final, the 1978 European Cup Final and the 1981 European Cup Final.

Not to mention that it was at Le Parc that France beat Spain in the UEFA Euro 1984 final so as to win their first-ever title.

While in 1992, France was set to be the host of the 1998 World Cup, which was French first since 1938, a new venue started to be constructed in May 1995, so as to lead Parc des Princes to be the host of the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.

While the Stade de France that was opened in January 1998 became the stadium of the future, Le Parc hosted its last international final that year which was the 1998 UEFA Cup Final.

Ever since then, Les Bleus have played only twice at the Parc des Princes in the matches against Scotland during the UEFA

qualifiers in September 2007, and against Australia in a friendly in October 2013.

However, it is worth mentioning among our the top facts about Parc des Princes that it has been the host of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the UEFA

and the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup too.

Parc des Princes renovation and expansion

In November 2013, PSG agreed with the Paris City Council, owner of the Parc des Princes, to promote the lease of the stadium for another 30 years until 2043, on the basis of a fixed rent as well as a variable share of income.

Thereafter, under the direction of American architect Tom Sheehan, PSG signed a €75 million three-year upgrade of Prince's Park (2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2016) prior to Euro 2016 in France.

Moreover, two additional rows of seats were added, to let it remain at a capacity of 48,000, even if it currently is blessed with seats that are larger and more comfortable.

It goes without saying that Hospitality capacity increased from 1,200 to 4,500 and new substitutes' benches and large, modern changing rooms that contain warm-up and treatment rooms were launched.

Among

top facts about Parc des Princes

, it is amazing to suggest that in the light of these renovations, PSG's stadium revenue swelled from €20m to €100m.

Moreover, PSG is striving to expand its house capacity to 60,000 in the upcoming years. Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) has clarified from the beginning of their ownership at the capital club that a bigger stadium is one of the ways to make PSG one of the leading clubs in Europe.

Initially, two choices were being considered: whether to move to the Stade de France or expand the current Parc des Princes, whereas the first one was cancelled after the redevelopments of Le Park before Euro 2016.

While prior to the tournament, expansion was proved implausible, PSG deputy CEO Jean-Claude Blanc indicated that the club's plans have not changed.

Likewise, some rumours have been spread suggesting that QSI is interested in buying the Parc des Princes for a fee estimated to be around €150 million. 

Parc des Princes accessibility

The Parc des Princes is constructed on the Périphérique ring road in Paris. It is located approximately 4 km southwest of the Eiffel Tower and less than 1 km south of the Bois de Boulogne and the Roland Garros tennis complex.

If you are coming from the southern outskirts, take the D910/Boulogne exit (in the tunnel). Turn left at the end of the ramp (you'll already see the stadium) onto Avenue de la Porte de Saint-Cloud and then turn right at Rue du Commandant Guilbaud.

In case of coming from the north, take the exit towards Boulogne/Avenue de la Porte de Saint-Cloud and afterwards turn right at the top of the ramp after the same direction mentioned earlier.

Porte de Saint-Cloud Metro Station on line 9 is a 5-minute walk from the stadium. Line 9 runs straight through the centre of Paris (on the north bank of the Seine) while it is related to several other lines.

As another option, take line 10 and get off at Porte d'Auteuil station, which is a short walk away. Line 10 relates the venue to the numerous stops on the south side of Paris if you are coming from there.

Moreover, Porte de Saint-Cloud is served by buses 22, 62 and 72, while Porte d'Auteuil is served by buses 32 and 52. All buses travel through the city centre on various routes. The stadium's exact address is 24 Rue du Commandant Guilbaud, 75781 Paris Cedex 16.

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