Football in Paris

Paris the capital city of France is the place where modern football was born. 1904, 21 May is a remarkable moment in the history of football. On this day Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris. This association reshaped the rules of the game, which has transformed football into a favorite sport. Football is popularly known as soccer in this part of the world.

In 1900 Summer Olympics was organized in Paris. People of Paris got the first taste of football during this grand event in their own city. A football tournament was contested for the first time. Though only two demonstration matches were held between the three club sides, and no medals were awarded but the people of Paris were delighted by the event.

In 1924 Summer Olympics was again held in Paris. This time Uruguay dominated the Football (soccer) tournament winning the Gold. The football matches were held at the Velodrome Municipal de Vincennes in Paris.

As Paris is blessed with oceanic climate and is affected by the North Atlantic Drift, it enjoys a temperate climate that rarely sees extremely high or low temperatures. This is a special feature which has helped the growth of football in Paris, as this particular sport demands lots of energy.

Parc des Princes was the largest football stadium in Paris till 1998. The stadium was opened in 4 June 1972 and was the national stadium of France until the Stade de France was built for the world cup in 1998. The stadium was designed by architect Roger Taillibert. First match was played between Marseille-Bastia. The stadium had a whopping capacity of 49,000 seats.
The 80,000-seat Stade de France was built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup is presently the largest stadium in Paris. 1938 and 1998 FIFA World Cups was held in Paris.

Paris's prominent football club Paris is Saint-Germain.The club stadium is the Parc des Princes. Paris Saint-Germain is well known for its fierce rivalry with Olympique Marseille. The club was founded in August 1970 .In fact it was born in 1904 due to the fusion between newly founded Paris FC and Stade Saint-germanois. In 1992-93 UEFA Cup, PSG received two of its most dramatic wins ever.