Arsenal Football Club are Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years — and north London has not stopped celebrating since.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners clinched the title on May 19 when Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth, confirming Arsenal as champions with 82 points from 25 wins, seven draws and five defeats — finishing four points clear of City at the top of the table. The achievement ends a two-decade wait that has tested the patience of one of England’s most passionate fanbases through years of near-misses, rebuilds and false dawns.
The scenes that followed were extraordinary. Supporters flooded the streets around the Emirates Stadium in Islington. Celebrations were reported as far afield as Jakarta, where thousands of Indonesian Arsenal fans gathered in a mass march through the city. Celebrity supporters including Grammy-winning singer Jess Glynne and seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton joined the party publicly, while British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer issued a congratulatory message to the club and its supporters.
Arsenal will officially lift the Premier League trophy this Sunday, May 24, after their final league fixture of the season against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park — a fitting venue given that Palace are simultaneously celebrating their own historic FA Cup victory over Manchester City at Wembley.
A victory parade through Islington has been confirmed by the club for Sunday May 31, starting at 2pm from the Emirates Stadium. Authorities are preparing for crowds in excess of one million people — a scale that would make it one of the largest sporting celebrations in London’s history. Road closures, transport measures and additional policing are already being put in place across the borough.
The timing of the parade carries enormous significance. It falls just one day after Arsenal face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest on Saturday May 30 — kick-off at 5pm UK time. Should Arteta’s side defeat PSG, Sunday’s parade would become a historic double celebration, with supporters seeing both the Premier League trophy and the Champions League trophy displayed on the open-top bus simultaneously. Arsenal have never won the European Cup or Champions League in their history.
The architect of this transformation is Arteta himself. The Spaniard arrived at the Emirates in December 2019 as an untested head coach, inheriting a squad that had finished eighth in the Premier League and was drifting without direction. His first full season ended in a shock eighth-place finish. His second brought a run to the FA Cup final. His third saw Arsenal back in the Champions League. By his fourth, they were title challengers. By his sixth, they are champions.
Captain Martin Odegaard has been central to the project — the Norwegian playmaker marshalling a midfield that controls matches with a combination of intensity and technical quality that rivals anything in Europe. Defender William Saliba, widely regarded as the world’s best centre-back after his performances across this campaign, was characteristically direct in his response to winning his first major honour. “I am NOT full,” he declared. “I want more.” His words captured the spirit of an Arsenal squad that appears to believe this title is the beginning of something rather than the end.
Arteta, speaking after the title was confirmed, reflected on the journey. “This club, these fans, this city — they deserved this moment,” he said. “We worked for this every single day for six years. I am incredibly proud of every single person involved.”
The last time Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy was in 2004, when Arsene Wenger’s legendary Invincibles completed an entire 38-game league season without losing a single match. That side — featuring Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Ashley Cole — remains one of the greatest teams in English football history. This Arsenal side may not have gone unbeaten, but what they have built over six years under Arteta may prove just as lasting.
The next chapter begins in Budapest on May 30. Arsenal versus PSG. The Premier League trophy is already secured. The Champions League is within reach.
North London is dreaming of a double.
