Stade Pershing () was a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in the

Bois de Vincennes The Bois de Vincennes (), located on the eastern edge of Paris, France, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by Emperor Napoleon III. The park is next to the Château de Vincennes, a former residence of ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. It was used mostly for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

matches and hosted the final of the

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

on four occasions. It hosted the

Inter-Allied Games The Inter-Allied Games was a one-off multi-sport event held from 22 June to 6 July 1919 at the newly constructed Pershing Stadium just outside Paris, France following the end of World War I. The host stadium had been built near the Bois de Vi ...

in 1919 and the first Women's World Games in 1922. It also hosted some of the

matches during the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

. The stadium was able to hold 29,000 spectators at its height; it opened in 1919 and closed in 1960. Construction of the stadium was originally contracted to a French firm. However, labour disputes stopped all work. At this time, the engineers of the United States Army intervened and completed construction. It hosted the

, and then was presented as a gift from the US to France after the games concluded. At the June 22, 1919, inauguration ceremony,

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

Chief Secretary Edward Clark Carter delivered the stadium to General Pershing, who in turn, immediately presented the deed to French Minister of Marine Georges Leygues. An exhibition match at Stade Pershing between the

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

national

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

football teams in December 1933 (won 63–13 by the Australians) as part of the Australian teams 1933–34 Kangaroo Tour, inspired the beginnings of rugby league in France.

References

1924 Summer Olympics official report.
p. 322.
Stadium information
Venues of the 1924 Summer Olympics Pershing Multi-purpose stadiums in France Rugby union stadiums in France Rugby league stadiums in France Sports venues completed in 1919 {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub