Arsenal fans turn Budapest red as Gunners battle to crown England Europe's football king

More than 30,000 Arsenal fans turned Budapest into a sea of red hoping to see the Gunners crown England the king of European football.

If Mikel Arteta s side beats French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final it will be the first time English clubs have won all three European football trophies in the same season.

Jubilant supporters - still partying after the club won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years - have forked out up to 33,795 for a ticket to the sensational soccer showdown.

Not only would Arsenal lift the Champions League for the first time but they would cement Englands place in history following Aston Villa s Europa and Crystal Palace s Conference League victories.

Liverpool and Sir Bobby Robsons Ipswich Town did the European-UEFA Cup double in 1981 followed three years layer by the Scouse Reds and Spurs. But English clubs have never done an historic hat-trick of all three Euro finals.

Hungarian police have launched the biggest operation Budapest has ever seen for todays match. Nearly 4,000 cops will be on the streets. City officials said it was the highest number ever seen on duty at the same time.

Around 13,000 Arsenal fans are believed to have made the trip without tickets - with many admitting they had little chance of getting any at the last minute.

One said: Theyre like rocking horse s***. Its a shame were not playing Spurs - there would have been plenty going spare in their end! Each club was allocated 17,000 tickets for the final at the 67,155-capacity Puskas Arena.

Those without seats will be able to watch the action on giant screens at Arsenals fan zone in Varosliget where club legends will make special guest appearances throughout the day.

Then supporters with tickets will walk in unison through the streets of the city to the stadium over three hours. Police motorcycle outriders, dog units, mounted officers and drone operators will watch their every move.

Major General Dr Jnos Zoltn Kuczik, commander of cop operations, said: We will take decisive action if we encounter any behaviour that disrupts public order.

He said the force had been analysing the behaviour of both fanbases over the past three weeks along with UEFA security experts.

Its no secret that having fans from London and Paris in Budapest at the same time poses a significant risk, but it is our job to minimize that risk, he said.

In addition we have reinforced our call centres and staff who speak French and English are available. It is important that on match day anyone who can should opt for public transportation in the capital.

Robbie Lyle, of Arsenal Fan TV, said he was stunned how many supporters had arrived early. He said: Theres so many Arsenal fans here already.

Were champions of England against the champions of France so were absolutely buzzing for this game. If we win the league and the Champions League in the same season I cant even put it into words right now. Another fan said: To win it would mean everything.

Gooner and TV host Piers Morgan wrote in The Spectator that fans could not wait having suffered many eyeball-wrenchingly tortuous years

He said it was hard to understand why a club that boasts a fanbase including him, PM Sir Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn, Rwandas President Paul Kagame and allegedly Prince Harry was recently named as boasting the most-hated supporters in the league.

He said: But as with Millwall in their hooligan heyday if no one likes us we dont care. Ive often asked interviewees what would be the one moment of their lives they would relive, outside of marriage and having children.

For me, options would include a private lunch at Kensington Palace with Princess Diana and a 13-year-old Prince William, spending 20 minutes alone in a Red Cross tent with Nelson Mandela, and getting Brian Lara out for nought in a charity cricket match with my arm ball.

But all of that now pales into insignificance after Arsenals superstar midfielder Declan Rice spotted me during the trophy celebrations, marched over, hugged me, placed his winners medal over my neck, and exclaimed: We did it, mate!

All caught on camera by my stunned sons who fully understood when I declared it the best moment of my life, including their births.

Even tickets to watch the action relayed on screens at Arsenals Emirates Stadium - 1,100 miles away from where it will be played - were fetching up to 1,757 on secondary selling sites.

Nearby pub landlords said they had gone through barrels on barrels of beer in a non-stop party since Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy last week.

Folk queued outside bars from 9am to see the trophy presentation. Martin Whelan, landlord of The Tollington Arms, said it had been mayhem but an absolutely brilliant week of constant queues of up to 3,000 revellers trying to get in.

Weve been stocking up on barrels and barrels of beer every few days to deal with the demand. But youll never see us run out of beer. Well never have our pub dry, he said.

Ive had to survive on about three or four hours sleep every night this week so I havent even really had the time to enjoy it despite being an Arsenal fan myself.

Stephen Bolger, general manager of the Highbury Barn Tavern in Highbury Park, said hed had to tweak stock levels. It was very jovial, a great atmosphere, he said. We didnt have any trouble or anything like that, all smooth sailing.

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Nearby Nambucca recorded its highest ever drink sales since its 2024 opening.

Pub boss Brandon Gaul said it was absolutely insane, adding: It really meant something to people around here. Basically every day since the victory weve had people in here celebrating from the community.

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