Violent scenes broke out in the Hungarian capital Budapest on Friday as supporters of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain clashed ahead of the Champions League final.
The police are also investing.
A group of Arsenal fans clashed with Paris Saint-Germain supporters in downtown Budapest on the eve of Saturday’s Champions League final. Video footage of a fight that broke out on Kiraly Street in the Hungarian capital has been posted online.
Fans were seen punching and kicking each other, and smoke bombs were also thrown during the violent scenes. A police spokeswoman said officers were investigating a “mass riot” and working to identify the individuals involved.
“On May 30, 2026, at around 12:20 a.m., several fans got into an argument on Kiraly Street in the 7th district of Budapest,” the statement said. “The BRFK 7th District Police Station has initiated proceedings against the unidentified perpetrators on suspicion of gang violence crimes, within the framework of which the camera recordings are also being analyzed.”
Elsewhere on Friday, police said two British supporters were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and damaging a vehicle. The first arrest occurred at 4pm local time on Friday.
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A British man was arrested along with two Portuguese men after an altercation at one of the gates of Budapest’s Festival of Champions. All three were taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct.
Police added that a second British man was detained for allegedly climbing on top of a parked car and damaging it at around 11pm. As many as 4,000 police officers were deployed in the largest single-day police operation in Hungarian history.
This includes police officers, motorcycle patrols, dog units, mounted police, and drone operators. It is feared that around 10,000 fans may have flocked to Hungary without tickets.
The Puskas Arena had a capacity of 67,000, but Arsenal and PSG were allocated only 17,000 tickets each. “If we encounter acts that disrupt public order, we will take decisive action,” Maj. Gen. Janos Zoltan Kuzyk said.
“We all know that having fans from London and Paris converging in Budapest at the same time poses a significant risk, and it is our job to minimize that risk.”
A fight breaks out on Killary Street.
Tensions rise in Budapest
On Wednesday, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced that 22,000 police officers would be deployed across France this weekend. When PSG won the Champions League season by beating Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich, their celebrations turned ugly and there were deaths.
Two people were killed and nearly 200 injured. Police used tear gas, cars, trash cans and mattresses were set on fire, and about 600 people were arrested.
Kick-off in Budapest is 6pm local time (5pm UK time). In addition to increased police presence, authorities have also brought in additional public transport to transport supporters to and from the Puskas Arena, located about five miles from the centre.
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