Champions League final features rival songs as Arsenal and PSG fans belt out their anthems

PARIS (AP) — When Arsenal faces Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday's Champions League final, the rivalry will extend to the singing in the stands.

Thousands of opposing fans will try drowning out their rivals’ anthem with their own at Budapest's Puskás Aréna stadium.

Those from defending champion PSG will passionately bellow “Tous ensemble on chantera” (All together we will sing) invented by the club's Ultras fans.

Arsenal fans will sing the catchy chorus taken from “The Angel (North London Forever)” written by singer and Arsenal fan Louis Dunford in 2022.

It's a homage to the Islington area of north London where he grew up, close to Arsenal's current and past stadiums: Highbury and The Emirates. It was soon adopted by sections of the Arsenal crowd and then kept growing in popularity.

“This song I wrote in my bedroom as a little love letter to my home town," Dunford told spectators during a concert. “I never dreamed I'd hear it sung at every home game.”

With some London rhyming slang — known as Cockney — and gritty-but-witty vocabulary, it tells of local pubs, faces old and new, rough council estates with roguish characters, single mothers, and people in trouble with the law.

“The manor might be changing, but the people still remain,” Dunford sings, adding. “It’s in the roots that we inherit when a generation ends, it’s in the ruins of your youth and the faces of your past.”

The uplifting chorus, bellowed out by Arsenal fans, goes like this:

"North London forever,

"Whatever the weather,

"The streets are our own.

"And my heart will leave you never,

"My blood will forever,

“Run through the stone.”

Even famed actress Anne Hathaway posted a video of herself singing it which went viral on Instagram.

Two weeks ago, Arsenal fans sang it to celebrate a first Premier League title since 2004, with Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta describing it as an “emotional explosion” after years of near misses.

By comparison, PSG's Ligue 1 title was its fifth straight and record-extending 14th overall.

But up until last year PSG had never won the Champions League, and at one stage it seemed an impossible ambition.

PSG's anthem reflects the loyalty of its fans throughout bad struggles on and off the field.

Backed up by a steady drum and sung slowly with stretched-out sentences, it goes like this:

Paris S G,

Tous ensemble on chantera (All together we will sing),

Cet amour qu’on a pour toi (This love we have for you),

Qui ne cessera jamais (Which will never end).

Après tant d’années (After so many years),

De galères et de combats (Of setbacks and struggles),

Oh pour toi Paris SG (Oh for you PSG),

On va se casser la voix (We will break our voices).

The club’s Ultras came up with it after finally being allowed back into PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, under the new collective name of Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP).

Fans belted it out in Munich last year when PSG routed Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League.

PSG coach Luis Enrique joined in with the fans this year after his side eliminated Munich following a pulsating semifinal.

Such upbeat scenes were a stark contrast from PSG's past.

When Arsenal reached the Champions League final in 2006 — losing to Barcelona in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis — PSG was nowhere near Europe’s elite.

Unsuccessful on the field, PSG was also dealing with a major hooliganism problem which began in the late 1980s and saw several big fights near the Parc des Princes stadium — including against Arsenal in 1994.

A PSG fan was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in 2006 following a home match against Hapoël Tel-Aviv in the UEFA Cup. The officer was protecting a fan of Hapoël Tel-Aviv from a threatening mob which had surrounded him.

On the field, PSG was almost relegated to the second tier in 2008, staying up with an away win on the final day. Soccer violence resulted in another death in 2010 following a violent clash, the result of a vicious feud between rival sets of PSG fans.

Qatari-backed QSI bought PSG in 2011 and bankrolled billions.

But despite signing the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi, PSG could not win the Champions League.

Until Enrique took charge in 2023.

Out went Neymar and Mbappé and a new team was built around selflessness and teamwork. Enrique incorporated young players like Désiré Doué, re-motivated Ousmane Dembélé, last year's Ballon d'Or winner, and made a game-changing decision when he signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Spaniards Enrique and Arteta were excellent midfielders.

Enrique, 56, stood out with Real Madrid and Barcelona. Arteta, 44, played at PSG from 2000-02 and Arsenal from 2011-16.

If Arteta gets one over on his countryman and leads Arsenal to its first Champions League title, the singing in north London will be deafening.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal supporters gather at the Arsenal stadium after Arsenal's soccer team won the Premier League title in London, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta celebrates at the end of the Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Burnley in London, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Arsenal supporters gather to celebrate at the Arsenal stadium after Arsenal's soccer team won the Premier League title in London, Tuesday, May 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Before North America, World Cup magic made a stopover in Greece.

Players battled and bonded not at the mega-stadiums of Mexico, Canada and the United States, but on practice fields squeezed into urban neighborhoods of Athens.

There were no luxury suites or grand arenas — just a local soccer competition where migrants and Greek players kicked the ball on city fields before crowds pressed to chain‑link fences, as music spilled into the streets.

And while Albania, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan didn't qualify for the World Cup, amateur players with ties to those countries brought their best game in Athens.

Many migrant players have been bracing for the implementation of Europe’s stricter migration and asylum rules in June. But the tournament for migrant and refugee communities was a joyful distraction, a celebration of football and identity.

At one venue near Plato’s Academy, where ancient Athenians once debated the meaning of citizenship, the Acropolis rose in the distance beyond the field. In the densely populated district of Kypseli, supporters waved Congolese and Ivory Coast flags while volunteers led outdoor drumming lessons nearby.

Teams competed to the soundtrack of African pop music as coaches shouted instructions and supporters cheered from the sidelines.

Amelie Nguedia of Cameroon danced onto the field before kickoff as others joined in, laughing around her.

“Coming to play here is a real pleasure,” she said. “We aren’t professionals, but we love participating.”

Nguedia said that she would be supporting Ivory Coast at the World Cup, after Cameroon failed to qualify.

The Kypseli Mundial tournament was founded three years ago by Ivorian Moussa Sangare, who says he wanted to use football to combat fear and mistrust toward migrants in Greece.

The Mediterranean nation is at the forefront of migrants illegally entering the European Union and was the stage of the 2015 refugee crisis. While the number of irregular border crossings to Greece fell in the last decade, anti-migration sentiment has grown, while the government enforces stricter border controls and vows to increase deportations.

“People are often afraid of migrants, but we wanted to change this narrative,” he said. “Interacting with migrants and second-generation migrants and doing things together: People change their minds through experience.”

Sangare rarely stopped moving throughout the competition — setting schedules, welcoming teams, filming social videos and cleaning up after matches.

“For us, this tournament is like a mini–World Cup in Greece,” he said.

The timing of the Athens competition carried its own symbolism.

The five-week World Cup starts June 11. A day later, new EU migration and asylum rules take effect, with tougher border controls and faster deportations. Greece also wants to move migrant detention facilities offshore to countries in Africa.

Despite that backdrop, there was a festive atmosphere in Athens.

Matches were competitive, but rarely hostile. Hard tackles drew shouts from the sidelines. Coaches barked instructions from cramped dugouts. Fans joked with rival supporters from opposite sides of the fencing.

Moments later, they shared a laugh.

For most players, the tournament stood apart from the routines of daily life. Many work long hours away from public view in restaurant kitchens, hotels, construction sites and food delivery jobs across Athens.

“I am very proud to be playing in this tournament for the first time,” said Amissi, a midfielder from Mali, shortly after finishing a game. He works in a factory assembling water heaters.

After 21 teams participated, Nigeria's team won the men’s competition, while Greek neighborhood club Fostiras claimed the women’s title.

Head referee Chara Vogiatzidaki said that the tournament’s significance extended beyond results on the field.

“There are so many countries and different cultures, and I think the main goal is to show respect for all communities,” she said.

“There are some teams that are technically very advanced, and others that are less so. But the important thing is that all the teams have the mindset of enjoying themselves," Vogiatzidaki said. "That’s really beautiful.”

Amelie Nguedia from Cameroon, left, gives the captain's armband after being substituted to Maria Chaffi during a semifinal soccer match against Fostiras Kaisarianis for the Kypseli Mundial in Athens, Greece, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Migrants from Congo dance during a semifinal soccer match against Mali for the Kypseli Mundial in Athens,Greece, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Migrants from Congo gather before a semifinal soccer match against Mali during the Kypseli Mundial in Athens, Greece, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

A migrant from Mali celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during a semifinal soccer match against Congo for the Kypseli Mundial in Athens, Greece, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Migrants from Congo prepare before a semifinal soccer match against Mali during the Kypseli Mundial in Athens, Greece, on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)