I've just learned that the World Cup (Rugby) will be played in Paris beginning on Oct. 14, 2023. I was planning on being in Paris from Oct. 11 to 18, arriving from a week in London. I'm worried about the drunken hooligans (from all countries) that always seem to attend such events and cause a lot of inconvenience, property damage, and general mayhem. The fans will be using the same public transportation and be in many of the same cafes and restaurants and hotels as I am planning on being in, so would it be smarter of me to land in Paris in late Sept., spend a week there and then Eurostar to London for a week there and leave from Heathrow? Or am I being unnecessarily nervous? I'm an independent senior traveling on my own. Thanks for your input..
Posted by
Cloud
273 posts
I think it's a good idea to switch to avoid the crowd.
Posted by
Loire Valley
758 posts
It's the world cup of Rugby, not soccer.
There won't be mayhem or drunken hooligans.
Posted by
Paris
9570 posts
Yes they say something like in soccer the players are refined and the fans are hooligans, while in rugby the fans are refined and only the players are rowdy.
I have no idea if that is true, but it seems to be what Simon is saying too !
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1005 posts
The matches are being played at the Stade de France which is outside central Paris and will have limited impact on your trip. Paris is a huge city with large events happening all the time which won’t even be noticed by most people. There are only 3 games there anyway during your stay as the rest are being played in Marseille. I would not worry about it.
Posted by
880 posts
I think you’ll be fine. It looks like the only games in Paris (St. Denis) are the 14th & 15th. Paris is a huge city of course, and this isn’t quite the same as hosting the FIFA WC. The amount of people actually there for it will feel like a drop in the bucket. And the supporters will be focused on the matches, while you’ll be focused on sightseeing. It’s entirely possible you won’t even notice it’s happening. You may want to keep it on your radar in so far as the metro is concerned.
Echoing the other comments here too that rugby doesn’t have the same reputation for hooliganism as soccer. If you run into any supporters, they’re likely a fun bunch.
Posted by
89 posts
We were in Paris last May when the European Football (Soccer) Championship had to be relocated there from St. Petersburg. There were fans all around who were all decked out and enthusiastic but not rowdy. Lunches were crowded but not dinners, everyone was at the game. We were not at the bars late at night so I can't speak to that, but we did not hear anyone coming in the hotel at night. We had booked so far in advance that our room rates were locked in, but if you don't have rooms yet, I might check your 2 options to see what is more affordable.
Posted by
901 posts
We were in Paris during the FIFA World Cup Final in December 2022 when France played Argentina. You could have heard a pin drop until Mbappe scored the first goal for France. Then, I heard one car horn for three beeps. There was no mayhem after France lost in a shoot out. No drama there.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thanks to everyone for the good info.
Posted by
Southeast of Seattle
699 posts
Our accommodation host for OCT17-NOV1 echoed what Simon is saying. As awrzesinski mentioned, the games are outside of Paris. Although in addition, I think the final game will be played in St. Denis also.