Paris FC

In January 1969, the French Football Federation (FFF) initiated a plan to establish a major club in Paris, as the capital lacked a top-tier football team. To lead this effort, a dedicated committee was formed, headed by Fernand Sastre, Henri Patrelle, and Guy Crescent. A month later, the FFF launched a public campaign with the slogan "Yes to a great football club in Paris", distributing ballots through newspapers and at stadiums across the Paris region. The campaign yielded around 60,000 responses, with "Paris Football Club" (or "Football-Club de Paris") emerging as the favorite name among the public. The first general assembly of Paris FC, officially created the club, two presidents were appointed: Guy Crescent and Pierre-Étienne Guyot. Crescent, Guyot, and Patrelle soon faced significant financial hurdles in moving the project forward. Their breakthrough came after meeting Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu, who advised them to start a public subscription campaign to raise the necessary funds, a suggestion they would later follow.

Seeking entry into Division 1, Paris FC approached CS Sedan Ardennes for a merger, but Sedan declined due to a previous failed attempt with Racing. With the FFF under pressure to bring top-flight football back to the capital, Paris FC merged with Stade Saint-Germain to form Paris Saint-Germain in 1970. For the first time in France, fans helped fund a club’s creation. Paris FC provided financial backing, while Stade Saint-Germain contributed players, manager Pierre Phelipon, Camp des Loges, and their Division 2 status. However, the club soon faced financial trouble, with losses of 205,000 francs.

In September 1971, the Paris City Council offered 850,000 francs to cover PSG’s debt, demanding the name be changed to "Paris Football Club" to reflect the capital more closely. President Guy Crescent supported the change, but Henri Patrelle opposed it. Crescent resigned in December 1971 and Patrelle took over, but the council held firm. After merging the two clubs, they separated again, and the split became official on June 1, 1972. Paris FC retained the first division status and professional players, while PSG was relegated to Division 3 and lost its professional status.

At the start of the 1972–73 season, Paris FC were in the top flight, playing at the Parc des Princes. Bound by professional contracts, most players, including captain Jean Djorkaeff and Bernard Guignedoux, stayed with the club. Two seasons later, PFC were relegated to Division 2 as PSG rose to the top flight and claimed the Parc. Exiled to the rundown Stade de la Porte de Montreuil and stripped of professional status, PFC fielded a squad of local and reserve players under Antoine Dalla Cieca. After a stadium fire and years of instability, they returned to professionalism in 1976 and earned promotion back to Division 1 for 1978–79. But lacking depth and direction, they finished bottom. Europe 1 briefly funded the club, renaming it "Paris 1", but a 7–1 loss to Monaco and defeat in the play-offs to Lens sent them back down. That season saw a record 41,025 spectators attend a match against Saint-Étienne.

Over the next seasons, the club narrowly avoided further relegation but amassed heavy debts, prompting FFF intervention. Industrialist Jean-Luc Lagardère sought to build a major Parisian club and, after Racing Club de France declined a merger, he bought PFC. Renamed "Racing Paris 1", the club stayed up, and in 1983 its first team merged with Racing’s. The remaining club, "Paris FC 83", was relegated to the fourth division. With few resources, they dropped to the fifth tier but climbed back to Division 3 in 1988. Businessman Bernard Caïazzo aimed for promotion in 1990, but the club only finished 12th. Renamed "Paris FC 98" in support of France’s 1998 FIFA World Cup bid, they narrowly missed promotion in 1992.

In 1996, the club became "Paris FC 2000", remained in Division 3, and became a founding member of the Championnat National. Relegated in 2000 to the Championnat de France amateur, the club reverted to "Paris Football Club" in 2005. Under Jean-Marc Pilorget, they won CFA Group D in 2006 and returned to the Championnat National. In 2007, they moved into the Stade Sébastien Charléty.

Following its return to the third tier of French football, Paris FC immediately set a goal of promotion to Ligue 2 by 2009. However, the plan failed and over the following years, the club remained in the third division and after a successful 2014–15 campaign, the club gained promotion to Ligue 2, the French second division, alongside its local rival Red Star, after a 32-year absence. The following season, the club was relegated back to the Championnat National for the 2016–17 season. In the 2016–17 season, Paris FC made the playoff/relegation final against Orleans but lost over the two legged game on aggregate. Paris FC were then administratively promoted to Ligue 2 after Bastia were demoted to the third division for financial irregularities. For the 2017–18 Ligue 2 season, Paris FC finished 8th in the table but at one stage occupied the promotion places.

In July 2020, a new strategic economic partner joined Paris FC to support the club's development and ambitions the Kingdom of Bahrain. The deal was completed with a capital investment to improve the finances of the club, giving Bahrain 20% of the equity. Pierre Ferracci, who owned the club under the Alpha Group (French: Groupe Alpha) remained the main shareholder with a contribution of 77%. In addition, the Kingdom of Bahrain became the main sponsor of the club.

In October 2024, it was reported that the Arnault family would purchase a majority ownership stake in Paris FC, along with a minority ownership by Red Bull GmbH. On 29 November 2024, the acquisition was made official, with the Arnault family buying a 52.4% stake through holding company Agache Sport. Pierre Ferracci retained a 29.8% stake through Alter Paris, while Red Bull GmbH acquired 10.6% and BRI Sports Holdings held a 7.2% stake in the club.

On 12 February 2025, Paris FC reached an agreement with rugby union club Stade Français for the team to move to their Stade Jean-Bouin, located in the 16th arrondissement, ahead of the 2025–26 season. On 2 May 2025, Paris FC achieved promotion to Ligue 1, returning to the highest tier of French football after a 46-year absence.