Hundreds of thousands of Arsenal supporters filled the streets of North London on Sunday as the club celebrated its English Premier League triumph and Women’s Champions Cup success with a massive open-top bus parade that overshadowed the club’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) heartbreak.
This came less than 24 hours after Arsenal suffered a painful penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL final.
But that disappointment did little to dampen the mood among supporters.
Fans lined major routes across Islington, including Holloway Road, Upper Street, and Essex Road, as both the men’s and women’s teams paraded their trophies through the streets.
The men’s team ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title under Mikel Arteta, finishing seven points clear of Manchester City on 85 points.
Unlike the previous season when Arsenal narrowly missed out on the title, the Gunners completed the campaign as champions, ending one of the longest title droughts in the club’s modern history.
The celebrations also honoured Renée Slegers’ women’s team following their Women’s Champions Cup success earlier in the season.
Local authorities and the Metropolitan Police estimated attendance at between 500,000 and 800,000 supporters, making it one of the largest football celebrations witnessed in the capital in recent years.
The procession featured four open-top buses led by a specially designed Champions truck, with music and entertainment accompanying the teams throughout the route.
Captain Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz led celebrations from the upper deck, while Declan Rice addressed supporters during the parade.
The festivities concluded at the Emirates Stadium, where players, staff, and family members gathered for private celebrations.
Meanwhile, claims circulating on social media that 2.5 million people attended the parade were dismissed after an image used to support the figure was found to be digitally altered.
The image was not taken in Islington, but showed The Mall in central London during Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June 2012.
The photograph had reportedly been edited with a red colour filter and additional graphics to falsely suggest it depicted Arsenal’s parade.
Authorities did not issue any estimate close to the multi-million figure claimed online, with official projections placing attendance well below one million.
Despite the misinformation, Arsenal’s celebrations marked a memorable end to the 2025/26 season as supporters turned out in huge numbers to honour one of the club’s most successful campaigns in recent history.
