French security forces conducted a controlled explosion outside the Stade de France in Paris just hours before tonight's European Championships quarter final.

France are due to take on minnows Iceland who unceremoniously dumped England out of the competition earlier this week.

Fans approaching the stadium reported hearing a loud bang and were told by police they could not continue because of the security scare.

French police are believed to have conducted a controlled explosion outside the Stade de France, file photo

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a large bang after they were prevented approaching the stadium

Police were forced to evacuate the stadium in November, pictured, when ISIS tried to attack the venue

Police confirmed they blew open the door of an illegally parked car outside the stadium.

They said the car was parked in an area where it shouldn't have been.

It is not expected that tonight's game will be delayed as a result of the security scare.

Police examined the car after forcing their way an and said they did not find anything suspicious in the vehicle.

The explosion caused jitters among fans arriving for the match and on the internet, but police played down the event, saying it was just a regular check on a car parked in a prohibited place.

Many streets were closed around the stadium because of the Euro 2016 competition.

A police spokeswoman said: 'These checks happen regularly in Paris. They did not blow up the entire car.'

Organisers of the Euro 2016 championships have been forced to dramatically increase the level of security because of the ongoing jihadi terror threat.

Fans were briefly delayed as they approached the stadium earlier today while police checked out a car

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a large bang before they were able to continue their way to the stadium

ISIS terrorists tried to attack the Stade de France in November as part of a co-ordinated attack on Paris which included the massacre inside the Bataclan theatre.

Terrorist killed 130 people as they rampaged though Paris on Friday, November 13 as France was due to play Germany in a friendly match.

At least two terrorists tried to access the stadium. The first detonated his suicide vest after he was turned away by a security guard.

Three people were killed during that section of the attack.

French president Francois Hollande was in stadium when ISIS attacked.

The presidents of France and Iceland as well as their respective prime ministers are expected to attend tonight's fixture.

Last night, a dozen people were injured after England supporters were involved in a fight inside the fanzone underneath the Eiffel Tower.

It was the first such incident in the Paris fan zone since the tournament started June 10, and comes amid tensions and high security across the country. France is under a state of emergency after extremist attacks last year, and hooligan violence that marred the early days of the tournament.

Paris police and city hall officials said Sunday that a group of fans started fighting during extra time in Saturday's quarterfinal between Germany and Italy.

People near the fighting fans moved away, while scores of others ran for the exits, the officials said.

One person was hospitalised with injuries but should be released Sunday, while the others were treated on site at the fan zone beneath the Eiffel Tower, said a city hall official.

The incident lasted barely four minutes and no arrests were made, said the police official.