Paris Football Club (abbreviated as "Paris FC", in English: Paris FC) is a professional football club based in Paris, the capital of France, founded in 1969 with the aim of revitalizing football in Paris. In 1970, it merged with Paris Saint-Germain Sports Club to form the now-famous Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Just two years later, due to the intervention of the Paris city government, Paris FC parted ways with PSG, retaining its then Ligue 1 status.
These "twin brothers" took completely different paths, with PSG becoming a European football powerhouse, while Paris FC experienced a long period of decline, even falling into amateur leagues for a time, until regaining its professional status in 2015.
Historically, Paris FC had a brief stay in Ligue 1, from 1972 to 1974 and from 1978 to 1979, but struggled in performance. The club then mainly lingered in the lower divisions of French football. In recent years, Paris FC has shown signs of revival, coming close to promotion multiple times, and in May 2025, achieved a historic breakthrough by returning to Ligue 1 after 46 years, becoming the second Ligue 1 team in the city of Paris after PSG.
The club's ownership structure has also undergone significant changes in recent years. At the end of 2024, a consortium led by the Arnault family acquired a majority stake in the club, with Red Bull Group also becoming an important shareholder, injecting new resources and ambitions into the club. Although their performance is not as glorious as their city rivals, Paris FC is also known for nurturing talent, such as Jean-Christophe Thouvenel, who represented France and won an Olympic gold medal, former French international Mamadou Sakho, and the Belhadj brothers. Renowned coach Roger Lemaitre also began his coaching career here.