2026 UEFA Super Cup: PSG - Aston Villa

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The 2026 UEFA Super Cup is a football match scheduled to be played on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, at the Salzburg Stadium in Salzburg, Austria (Red Bull Arena). The match will feature Paris Saint-Germain, the champion of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, against Aston Villa, the champion of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League.

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual match contested between the winners of Europe’s two premier club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The tournament was designed by Dutch journalist Anton Witkamp with the aim of definitively identifying Europe’s best club team. From 1973 to 1999, the winner of the European Cup/Champions League faced the winner of the European Cup Winners’ Cup; since 2000, it has faced the winner of the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

The Super Cup match played in 1972 between Ajax of the Netherlands and Rangers of Scotland was not officially recognized by UEFA. Rangers, who won the Cup Winners’ Cup that year, were banned from European competitions for one year due to the misconduct of their fans, and UEFA did not support the Super Cup match between the two teams. After two matches played with the support of a newspaper, Ajax emerged victorious over their opponent. The Super Cup was officially incorporated into UEFA’s program in 1973.

Extra time is not played. If the score is level at the end of regular time, the match proceeds directly to a penalty shootout.

The UEFA Super Cup trophy stands 58 centimeters tall and weighs 12.2 kilograms. The current model, produced by IACO Group, has been in use since 2006 and retains the fundamental design of its predecessor. The classic bowl-shaped cup rises from a slightly curved base resembling a ball of wool, while the two handles allow the winning team to hold the trophy securely during their victory lap. The winning team is entitled to commission a replica, provided it does not exceed four-fifths of the original dimensions.

Over the 50 editions of the UEFA Super Cup, teams that won the European Cup/Champions League have claimed the title 30 times.

In 2025, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Tottenham Hotspur on penalties to become champions, thereby becoming the first French club to win the Super Cup.

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Clubs that have won the UEFA Super Cup at least once and their number of titles are as follows:

• 6 titles: Real Madrid (2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024)
• 5 titles: AC Milan (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)
• 5 titles: Barcelona (1992, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2015)
• 4 titles: Liverpool (1977, 2001, 2005, 2019)
• 3 titles: Atlético de Madrid (2010, 2012, 2018)
• 2 titles: Ajax (1973, 1975)
• 2 titles: Anderlecht (1976, 1978)
• 2 titles: Bayern Munich (2013, 2020)
• 2 titles: Chelsea (1998, 2021)
• 2 titles: Juventus (1984, 1996)
• 2 titles: Valencia (1980, 2004)
• 1 title: Aberdeen (1983), Aston Villa (1982), Dynamo Kyiv (1975), Galatasaray (2000), Lazio (1999), Manchester City (2023), Manchester United (1991), Mechelen (1988), Nottingham Forest (1979), Paris (2025), Parma (1993), Porto (1987), Sevilla (2006), Steaua (1986), Zenit (2008)

In total, 26 clubs from 13 different countries have won the UEFA Super Cup.

• 17 titles: Spain (Real Madrid 6, Barcelona 5, Atlético Madrid 3, Valencia 2, Sevilla 1)
• 10 titles: England (Liverpool 4, Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 1, Manchester City 1, Manchester United 1, Nottingham Forest 1)
• 9 titles: Italy (AC Milan 5, Juventus 2, Lazio 1, Parma 1)
• 3 titles: Belgium (Anderlecht 2, Mechelen 1)
• 2 titles: Germany (Bayern Munich 2)
• 2 titles: Netherlands (Ajax 2)
• 1 title: France (Paris 1)
• 1 title: Portugal (Porto 1)
• 1 title: Romania (Steaua 1)
• 1 title: Russia (Zenit 1)
• 1 title: Scotland (Aberdeen 1)
• 1 title: Türkiye (Galatasaray 1)
• 1 title: Ukraine (Dynamo Kyiv 1)

• 9 finals: Barcelona
• 9 finals: Real Madrid
• 7 finals: AC Milan
• 7 finals: Sevilla
• 6 finals: Liverpool
• 5 finals: Bayern Munich
• 5 finals: Chelsea
• 4 finals: Manchester United
• 4 finals: Porto

• 5 titles: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
• 5 titles: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)
• 4 titles: Dani Alves (Sevilla/Barcelona)
• 4 titles: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
• 4 titles: Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich/Real Madrid)
• 4 titles: Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)

In 11 of the last 17 Super Cup matches, Spanish clubs have emerged victorious. These titles came from Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015), Atlético Madrid (2010, 2012, 2018), and Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024). During this period, Germany’s Bayern Munich won in 2013 and 2020, while English representatives Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City won in 2019, 2021, and 2023 respectively.

Spain is the country with the most Super Cup wins, with Spanish clubs winning 17 times, English clubs 10 times, and Italian clubs 9 times.

The decision to host the 2026 UEFA Super Cup at the Salzburg Stadium was approved by the UEFA Executive Committee during a meeting held in Tirana, Albania, on 11 September 2025. The Salzburg Stadium is the home ground of the Austrian Bundesliga club Salzburg. Salzburg hosted Porto, Ferencváros, Go Ahead Eagles, and Basel during the group stage of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League but was eliminated at the end of the group phase.

The stadium hosted three group stage matches during the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament, co-hosted by Austria and its neighbor Switzerland. The 2026 UEFA Super Cup will be the first UEFA club final played at this venue.

Salzburg is the 14th city to host the Super Cup outside Monaco. Since leaving Monaco, where it was held for many years, the Super Cup has been hosted in Prague (2013), Cardiff (2014), Tbilisi (2015), Trondheim (2016), Skopje (2017), Tallinn (2018), Istanbul (2019), Budapest (2020), Belfast (2021), Helsinki (2022), Piraeus (2023), Warsaw (2024), and Udine (2025).

Josef Pröll, President of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), stated that the 2026 Super Cup marks the beginning of a new era for Austrian football and reflects Austria’s ambition to further elevate its position on the international stage. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin described Salzburg as one of Europe’s most beautiful and impressive cities, highlighting its musical heritage closely associated with Mozart.

Paris Saint-Germain secured the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League title by defeating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time and extra time in the final. With this victory, PSG became the first club to win the UEFA Champions League in two consecutive seasons.

In the 2025 UEFA Super Cup, PSG came back from a 2-0 deficit against Tottenham Hotspur to draw 2-2 and then won 4-3 on penalties, becoming champions of that edition. PSG’s first appearance in the Super Cup was in 1996, but the club lost to Juventus over two legs that year.

Aston Villa won the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League title by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the final. This achievement is regarded as the club’s greatest European night since winning the European Cup in 1982.

Aston Villa’s only previous Super Cup title came in 1982, when they defeated Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate after two legs.

Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa met only once before the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, in the quarter-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League. In the first leg, Paris defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at home. After Morgan Rogers opened the scoring, Désiré Doué’s skillful strike and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s clinical finishing turned the tide, with Nuno Mendes sealing the result with a goal in stoppage time.

In the return leg, Aston Villa defeated Paris 3-2 at home in Birmingham. After early goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, Youri Tielemans reduced the deficit, John McGinn equalized in the second half, and Ezri Konsa scored the winner. However, this victory was not enough on aggregate, and Paris advanced to the next round with a 5-4 aggregate score.

A significant portion of PSG’s players returned to training camp at different times depending on their performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ousmane Dembélé, who scored six goals and provided two assists for the French national team and won the Golden Ball award, joined the camp alongside his international teammates Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola. Fabián Ruiz, who delivered a strong performance for Spain in the World Cup final against France, was also included in the squad.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who did not play in the World Cup due to Georgia’s failure to qualify, returned to camp earlier than others. Maghnes Akliouche, newly signed from Monaco, is expected to play on the right wing.

PSG played two pre-season matches: they lost 3-0 to Mallorca and drew 1-1 with Manchester United. Dembélé, Barcola, Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernández, and Warren Zaïre-Emery are listed as doubtful due to fitness concerns.

PSG has signed Lucas Digne, a former Aston Villa player. Born in the Paris suburbs, Digne joined PSG from Lille in 2013, later played for Roma and Barcelona, and spent eight years in the Premier League with Everton and Aston Villa. He made 182 appearances for Aston Villa and became one of manager Unai Emery’s most reliable players. Digne’s transfer to PSG was completed on Sunday for a fee of 10 million euros (11.6 million dollars).

Aston Villa underwent significant squad changes during the summer. Midfielder Morgan Rogers transferred to Chelsea, and Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United. Additionally, Lucas Digne moved to PSG.

The club signed Swiss international Johan Manzambi, who stood out at the World Cup, for a club-record fee; however, Manzambi is ruled out of the Super Cup due to a knee injury. Brazilian midfielder João Gomes was signed from relegated Wolverhampton. Defender Modou Kéba Cissé joined from Austrian club LASK, and Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho was brought in on loan from Chelsea.

Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the World Cup and will be sidelined for an extended period. Leon Bailey is recovering from a muscle injury. Emiliano Martínez, Ezri Konsa, and Ollie Watkins are under fitness scrutiny after returning from the World Cup. John McGinn is being monitored for a knee issue. Alejandro Garnacho sustained a facial injury during a pre-season match against BG Pathum United. Boubacar Kamara impressed by starting in the pre-season match against Bayern Munich.

Aston Villa played six pre-season matches: they lost to Porto, Real Sociedad, and Bayern Munich, and won the others. The 2-1 defeat against Bayern Munich was viewed as a sign of the need to compete against top-level opponents.

The match will be officiated by Somali referee Omar Artan. The 34-year-old Artan became the first Somali referee to officiate the CAF Champions League final in the past 18 months, won the 2025 CAF Male Referee of the Year award, and was selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Artan will be the first non-European referee to officiate the UEFA Super Cup.

Artan was denied a U.S. entry visa and therefore could not officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. U.S. authorities claimed he had links to terrorist organizations but provided no evidence. UEFA’s decision to appoint Artan for the Super Cup received widespread support from the football community and was also interpreted as a political statement by UEFA.

Artan’s appointment followed a memorandum of understanding signed in late April between UEFA and CAF aimed at promoting cooperation in various areas, including refereeing. Artan received the appointment news in early June, shortly after returning from the United States.

The match referee team is as follows:

• Referee: Omar Artan (Somalia)
• Assistant referees: Liban Abdoulrazack Ahmed (Djibouti), Stephen Eleazar Onyango Yiembe (Kenya)
• Fourth official: Rade Obrenovič (Slovenia)
• VAR: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
• Assistant VAR: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (Spain)

Artan previously officiated matches in the Somali league and also refereed the Kuwait Premier League championship match at the end of June.

The match will feature Spanish managers Luis Enrique and Unai Emery facing each other. Their managerial careers have crossed paths since 2013. The 2026 UEFA Super Cup will be their second meeting in this competition and their 13th overall.

In the 12 matches between the two managers before the 2026 Super Cup, Luis Enrique won eight, Unai Emery won three, and one match ended in a draw.

One notable encounter between them was the 2015 UEFA Super Cup in Tbilisi on 11 August 2015. Luis Enrique’s Barcelona defeated Unai Emery’s Sevilla 5-4. Lionel Messi scored two free-kick goals, giving Barcelona a 4-1 lead. José Antonio Reyes pulled one back, Kevin Gameiro equalized from the penalty spot, and Yevhen Konoplyanka leveled the score to force extra time. Pedro Rodríguez scored the winner in extra time for Barcelona.

Another significant match occurred on 14 February 2017 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, when Emery’s Paris Saint-Germain defeated Luis Enrique’s Barcelona 4-0. Ángel Di María scored twice, with goals also from Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani.

In the return leg on 8 March 2017, Barcelona achieved a historic comeback known as “La Remontada,” defeating Paris 6-1 and advancing 6-5 on aggregate. This result is recorded as the greatest comeback in UEFA Champions League history.

Luis Enrique described Emery as one of the world’s best managers, highlighting his numerous trophies and vast experience. Emery noted that Luis Enrique’s career has paralleled his own, pointing out his role in one of Barcelona’s most successful eras and his current achievement as the most successful manager at Paris Saint-Germain.

According to Opta’s supercomputer simulation based on 10,000 match scenarios, PSG has a 45 percent chance of winning in regular time. Aston Villa’s chance of winning in regular time is 29.6 percent, while the probability of a draw leading to extra time and penalties is 25.5 percent.

Emery has lost all three of his previous Super Cup matches; Luis Enrique has won both of his.

PSG aims to become the second team to win the Super Cup in consecutive years and to achieve a four-in-a-row chance. Real Madrid is the only team to have achieved consecutive wins in the modern era, doing so in 2016 and 2017.

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique expressed his happiness to be here, stating that it is a sign of the good work done last season. He acknowledged the difficulty of knowing the exact level of performance but emphasized their excitement and the importance of reaching peak form by the end of the season, noting that everything starts tomorrow.

PSG captain Marquinhos stated that past successes do not mean things will be easy, as many obstacles lie ahead. He affirmed their desire to win and viewed trophies as opportunities.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said their priority is to build a winning team, and then focus on the positive outcomes—winning trophies. He emphasized that playing in the UEFA Super Cup offers the chance to face Paris Saint-Germain, currently the world’s best team, and to measure themselves against them.

Aston Villa captain John McGinn stated that they consistently compete with the best teams in England and Europe, acknowledging the challenges and changes they have faced. He emphasized their commitment to the same core squad, the same manager, the same methods, and their ambition to achieve even more.

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2026 UEFA Super Cup was played on 12 August 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria. The match was the 51st UEFA Super Cup contested between UEFA Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and UEFA Europa League champions Aston Villa. Paris Saint-Germain won the match 2-1, securing their second consecutive and overall second UEFA Super Cup title.

Paris Saint-Germain initiated the first dangerous attack and scored the opening goal. In the 20th minute, following a poor touch by Aston Villa forward Brian Madjo, Vitinha won the ball and passed it to Désiré Doué. The attack culminated with Georgian footballer Khvicha Kvaratskhelia receiving the ball on the left diagonal of the penalty area, cutting inside, beating Matty Cash, and firing a low shot past goalkeeper Marco Bizot to give his team a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, in the 26th minute, Paris Saint-Germain came close to a second goal. Nuno Mendes, receiving a pass from Kvaratskhelia on the left flank, cut inside but his cross failed to reach new signing Maghnes Akliouche or other attackers, and the threat was cleared.

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In the later minutes of the first half, Aston Villa sought an equalizer through their 17-year-old forward Brian Madjo. His shots in the 28th and 35th minutes narrowly went wide. In the 41st minute, his close-range header sailed over the crossbar. In the 44th minute, his shot struck the post and rebounded into play. Aston Villa found the equalizer in the 45th minute. John McGinn delivered a cross from the right flank toward the far post, where Brian Madjo, standing on the six-yard line, touched the ball and directed it past the post and into the net, making the score 1-1. This goal marked Madjo’s first official goal for the senior team. The first half ended with this scoreline.

Paris Saint-Germain made a substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé for Maghnes Akliouche. Both teams continued to create goal-scoring opportunities in the second half.

In the 61st minute, Paris Saint-Germain regained the lead. Ousmane Dembélé played a pass that allowed Désiré Doué to run behind Aston Villa’s defense on the right flank. Doué carried the ball to the edge of the six-yard box and struck it with his left foot into the far corner of the net. The goal was initially disallowed by the assistant referee for offside, but after a review using semi-automated offside technology and VAR, it was confirmed valid due to Aston Villa defender Matty Cash being off the offside line. Paris Saint-Germain thus took a 2-1 lead.

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Aston Villa increased pressure in attack in search of an equalizer. In the 64th minute, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov denied a shot from George Hemmings. In the following minutes, Warren Zaïre-Emery made an extraordinary block to stop a clear chance from João Gomes, who was playing his first match in an Aston Villa shirt. In stoppage time, Emi Buendía’s header narrowly went wide. No further goals were scored and Paris Saint-Germain emerged victorious 2-1 to claim the title.

Matvey Safonov, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos (Captain), Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes (74’ Lucas Hernandez), Joao Neves (75’ Fabian Ruiz), Vitinha, Warren Zaire-Emery, Maghnes Akliouche (46’ Ousmane Dembélé), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (88’ Beraldo), Désiré Doué (87’ Senny Mayulu)

Marco Bizot, Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Pau Torres (80’ Tyrone Mings), Ian Maatsen, John McGinn (72’ Alysson), João Gomes (80’ Ross Barkley), Boubacar Kamara (72’ Lamare Bogarde), George Hemmings, Emi Buendía, Brian Madjo (72’ Tammy Abraham)

Paris Saint-Germain’s French right winger Désiré Doué was named Player of the Match for his performance. After winning the title, team captain Marquinhos stated that the club’s and players’ ambition had been proven in such international competitions, and that manager Luis Enrique constantly pushes them to improve. Midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery emphasized the difficulty of winning finals and highlighted the importance of starting the season with a trophy. New signing Maghnes Akliouche stressed the club’s values of humility and hard work, and stated that their next target is the French Super Cup.

Manager Luis Enrique acknowledged that the team was not yet at its ideal physical preparation level but stressed that winning under such challenging conditions was significant. The Spanish coach added that the club still harbors ambitions to win the Champions League for a third consecutive time.

The 17-year-old Brian Madjo, who scored Aston Villa’s only goal in the match, became the youngest goalscorer in UEFA Super Cup history. After transferring from Metz, Madjo was unable to play due to a registration dispute with FIFA, but he gained eligibility to play in this match following a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Prior to this match, Madjo had scored in friendly games against Walsall, Real Sociedad, and Indonesia All Stars.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expressed pride in his team’s performance despite the defeat, particularly highlighting the displays of young players George Hemmings and Brian Madjo. Emery emphasized that after the first 20 minutes, the team showed character and proved they could compete on equal terms with PSG.

With this result, the following historical statistics have been recorded for the match and the clubs:

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• Paris Saint-Germain became the third club to win the UEFA Super Cup twice in a row, after AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, and Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017. They are also the third club to achieve back-to-back doubles of the Champions League (2025, 2026) and the Super Cup (2025, 2026).
• The Parisian club has increased its total number of UEFA titles to six (2 Champions Leagues, 2 Super Cups, 1 Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 Intertoto Cup).
• PSG manager Luis Enrique has now won the Super Cup for the third time, in 2015 (Barcelona), 2025 (PSG), and 2026 (PSG), joining the select group of managers who have won the trophy three or more times. The record of five wins belongs to Carlo Ancelotti, while Pep Guardiola holds the second-place record with four wins.
• Aston Villa lost their first final in the club’s history in UEFA competitions. Previously, the English club had won all four finals they had contested (1982 European Cup, 1982 Super Cup, 2001 Intertoto Cup, 2026 Europa League).
• U.S. authorities prevented Omar Abdulkadir Artan from officiating at the World Cup, alleging links to terrorist organizations without presenting any evidence. In response, UEFA appointed Artan, who was named Africa’s Referee of the Year, to officiate the Super Cup final.