Until January 3, 2024, PSG had time to submit an offer to purchase Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The club expressed interest in buying this stadium shortly after the Paris City Council rejected their offer for Parc des Princes. According to Le Parisien, the city received only three offers for the Saint-Denis facility, none of which were from PSG.

Qataris don't want national stadium

The capital club considered their plans incompatible with the obligations imposed on Stade de France by the French government, which wants the stadium to continue serving as the national stadium and host rugby matches. Built for the 1998 World Cup, Stade de France, with a capacity of about 80,000 spectators, is currently rarely used, and its maintenance, according to Le Parisien, has cost taxpayers over a billion $ in the last quarter-century. However, it seems that the desire of Qataris to acquire this facility was simply a threat to the Paris authorities, as this idea was met with outrage among PSG fans who couldn't imagine the team moving away from the capital.

© Christophe Chenevier (cc: by-nc-sa) | Stade de France

Could it be Parc des Princes after all?

Shortly after the deadline for submitting offers to purchase Stade de France, on January 4, Emmanuel Grégoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, emphasized that the city is open to renegotiating with PSG regarding the purchase of Parc des Princes. The previous offer was rejected in early January 2023, so the Parisian club's leadership began exploring alternatives.

At that time, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, refused to sell the stadium after deeming the proposed offer insufficient. We understand that it is either this option or a hypothetical new location, but we still believe that Parc des Princes is the safest solution for the club in financial, technical, and sporting terms. We are therefore ready to resume negotiations with PSG as soon as possible to reach an agreement, said Emmanuel Grégoire.

© DarDarCH (CC BY-SA 4.0) | Parc des Princes

Following European powerhouses

Sources close to PSG report that the owners aim to go further with the business model, taking inspiration from several major European clubs that own their stadiums. Therefore, Qataris want a stadium with a capacity significantly exceeding 40,000 seats. This can be achieved through the redevelopment of Parc des Princes or the construction of a new facility. In the first case, the investment would exceed $500 million and would allow the addition of 20,000 seats, and Qatar would be willing to do this only if the Paris City Council sold them the stadium. Paris Saint-Germain has been the host of Parc des Princes since 1973, and the capacity of the facility is 47,929 seats.

According to "Le Parisien," the known authors of the offers to take over Stade de France are the current managers, construction firms Vinci and Bouygues; the second from GL Events, a company led by a close friend of President Emmanuel Macron; and the third from a consortium of firms in contact with football and rugby federations. A decision will be made by the end of 2024.

© Chabe01 (CC BY-SA 4.0) | Parc des Princes