Football Trips Paris: Two Clubs and a Derby within 44 metres

Football trips to Paris now also include the first derby under the Eiffel Tower in 35 years. Newly promoted FC Paris has positioned itself geographically right next to record champions Paris Saint-Germain. They want to benefit from the “global brand next door,” as shareholder Antoine Arnault puts it. Event-breaks.com on an extraordinary newcomer in Ligue 1. 

Dear readers, you won’t get any closer to a derby on a football trip to Ligue 1, the English Premier League, or even the Italian Serie A.

Only 44 meters separate the stadiums of Champions League winner Paris St. Germain and FC Paris. They are almost built side by side, separated only by a street.

But that’s not a problem, because this new derby rivalry in the European football capital Paris still needs time to grow.

Is Paris FC the same as PSG?

Football derbies in Paris – unlike in Berlin, London, Madrid or Rome – have been the exception in Europe’s top leagues for more than three decades. Paris Saint-Germain and Paris FC are by no means the same. They exist in completely different football galaxies.

Paris had to wait a long time for a derby. The last one was in the 1989/90 season, PSG vs Racing Club Paris (now Racing Club de France) – 2:1.

That was on February 25, 1990, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where the slogan *Ici c’est Paris* (This is Paris) is displayed on the grandstand roof.

As for FC Paris: *Qui est Paris FC?* – or in plain English: Who is FC Paris?

The club was founded in 1969 and is, in fact, one year older than PSG, which was established in 1970.

Who owns Paris FC?

Like Paris Saint-Germain, FC Paris also features the Eiffel Tower, the city’s iconic landmark, on its club crest. 

Originally based in the upscale west of Paris, FC Paris is now relocating to the 16th arrondissement in Boulogne-Billancourt for Ligue 1. 

This move is expected to attract more fans and generate more revenue. Not to mention, you can see straight into PSG’s living room from their stadium curtains…

Until 2024, FC Paris, which returned to Ligue 2 in 2015 and had to play home games 170 kilometers away in Troyes during the 1980s, was backed by a state from the Persian Gulf – specifically Bahrain. 

The big neighbor PSG has been owned since 2011 by Qatar’s state fund QSI, led by powerful president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. This investment helped Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League for the first time in 2025, making them Europe’s number one.

Paris FC vs PSG Fans: When the boss has a season ticket at the neighbor’s

For the past six months, however, the Arnault family has been running FC Paris and makes no secret of their fondness for the big rival. “I’ve liked PSG since I was twelve,” Antoine Arnault told France’s football bible L'Équipe, “I had a season ticket for years.”

From the promotion and derbies, FC Paris figurehead Antoine Arnault hopes above all that his club “can benefit from the global brand next door.”
According to reports, Arnault Jr. is also regularly seen in the VIP box at the Parc des Princes. Why not? It’s only a few steps away.

The family dynasty founded by Bernard Arnault – who, how could it be any different in Paris, made their fortune in the fashion business – holds 52 percent of Paris FC shares through their holding company Agache Sport. 
By 2027, the Arnault family is expected to own 80 percent of Paris FC. 

Paris FC and Red Bull: Will we see Jürgen Klopp at the stadium?

Ten percent of the shares also belong to Austrian beverage giant Red Bull, so in the new season we’ll likely see the new Global Head of Soccer, Jürgen Klopp, and Red Bull Soccer International’s Technical Director, former national player and European runner-up Mario Gomez, in the stands at Stade Jean Bouin (19,607 seats). 

“I’ve spoken with Klopp several times. He’s very, very excited to work with us,” said Antoine Arnault at a press conference in November 2024, “We’re not coming alone. Red Bull is at our side because we know what we’re good at and what we’re not. We’re good at management, but not at football operations.” 

FC Paris with Jürgen Klopp and Mario Gomez in the stands? It’s possible, but in 2025/26 it will likely be on a case-by-case basis – probably first during the derby between Paris FC and PSG, which is scheduled for January 4, 2026, at the Parc des Princes. 

PSG vs Paris FC Stadium: Champions League winners in an American football venue

An exciting debut. While the “smaller” FC Paris doesn’t have PSG’s transfer power, they managed to sign Nigerian Moses Simon from FC Nantes as their first high-profile addition for Ligue 1. 

The return match at Stade Jean Bouin, a stadium usually used for rugby or American football, is scheduled for Matchday 34 – the final day – on May 16, 2026.

Just imagine – what if PSG still needs points to win the title…

FC Paris vs PSG – Paris loves these David vs Goliath stories, especially in the city where the revolution was once invented.