AFCON Group Stage: No fan gatherings on Champs-Élysées
Quick Read
For now, as AFCON 2025’s group matches play out, the Champs-Élysées—so often a stage for jubilant football scenes—will remain off-limits to fan gatherings, as Paris authorities seek to balance celebration with public safety
Paris authorities have moved to curb football celebrations on one of the world’s most famous avenues as the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) unfolds in Morocco.
The Paris Police Prefecture has issued an order banning supporters from gathering on the Champs-Élysées until 2:00 a.m. on January 1, marking the end of the tournament’s group stage.
The new restriction, published on Tuesday, December 23, follows a legal back-and-forth that saw an earlier, more sweeping ban partially struck down.
According to Le Parisien, the initial decree had prohibited all fan gatherings on the avenue for the entire duration of AFCON from December 21 to January 19 over fears of public disorder.
Authorities cited the risk of pyrotechnics, crowd surges, and the unusually heavy tourist traffic expected during the festive end-of-year period.
However, after the tournament’s opening match between Morocco and Comoros, the administrative court invalidated that blanket ban.
In response, the police prefecture withdrew the original order and replaced it with a narrower but similar measure, limiting the restriction to the group phase of the competition.
Officials again justified the decision by pointing to the exceptional crowd density on the Champs-Élysées during the holidays, recalling that past AFCON tournaments have been accompanied by disturbances and security incidents in the area.
A police source told the French daily that further bans could still be imposed later in the tournament, depending on how events develop.
Notably, during the previous AFCON, comparable restrictions in Paris were introduced only from the semi-final stage onward.
Even more striking, no such bans were enforced during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, despite massive public celebrations across the French capital.
For now, as AFCON 2025’s group matches play out, the Champs-Élysées—so often a stage for jubilant football scenes—will remain off-limits to fan gatherings, as Paris authorities seek to balance celebration with public safety.
Comments