Champions League final: Paris Saint-Germain vs Arsenal facts

Paris Saint-Germain can become only the second team to retain the UEFA Champions League as they take on an Arsenal side bidding to lift the trophy for the first time at Puskás Aréna in Budapest.

Holders Paris reached their second successive final – and third overall – with a thrilling 6-5 aggregate win against Bayern München in the last four. Eleventh in the league phase, they have since beaten Monaco 5-4 (3-2 a, 2-2 h), Chelsea 8-2 (5-2 h, 3-0 a), Liverpool 4-0 (2-0 h, 2-0 a) and Bayern (5-4 h, 1-1 a).

Arsenal edged past Atlético de Madrid 2-1 on aggregate in the last four (1-1 a, 1-0 h). They beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 (1-1 a, 2-0 h) in the round of 16 and Sporting CP 1-0 (1-0 a, 0-0 h) in the quarter-finals having become the first club to win all eight games in the league phase format.

Final facts

This is the first major men's club competition final between teams from France and England. Clubs from the two countries did meet twice in UEFA Intertoto Cup finals, West Ham beating Metz 3-2 on aggregate in 1999 and Troyes defeating Newcastle on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw in 2001. Paris also overcame Tottenham in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup (2-2, 4-3 pens).

This is Paris' fourth game in Hungary, where their record is W2 L1. This is their third game in Budapest, but their first at either Puskás Aréna or its predecessor, the Ferenc Puskás Stadion.

Arsenal have never previously played in Hungary.

Previous meetings

Paris and Arsenal have met seven times, with two wins each and three draws.

Their most recent meetings came in last season's semi-finals, Paris advancing 3-1 on aggregate. Ousmane Dembélé's fourth-minute strike was the only goal at Arsenal Stadium on 29 April 2025, before Fabián Ruiz (27) and – after Vitinha had had a 69th-minute penalty saved – Achraf Hakimi (72) at Parc des Princes on 7 May sealed victory despite Bukayo Saka's 76th-minute consolation.

Arsenal had beaten Paris 2-0 at home in the league phase thanks to first-half goals from Kai Havertz (20) and Saka (35).

The teams drew 1-1 in Paris and 2-2 in London in the 2016/17 group stage.

Their only other knockout tie was in the 1993/94 Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals, Arsenal winning 1-0 at home after a 1-1 draw in Paris.

Luis Enrique's side have won five successive knockout ties against English clubs. Last season they eliminated Liverpool (1-1 agg, 4-1 pens), Aston Villa (5-4) and Arsenal (3-1) in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, and this season they have beaten Chelsea and Liverpool.

Paris have lost only one of their last 12 matches against English opposition (W9 D2) and are unbeaten in nine (W7 D2).

Before losing both games against Paris last season, Arsenal had won three successive matches against French teams, all without conceding. However, they have managed only five victories in their last 12 games involving Ligue 1 opponents (D2 L5).

Form guide

Paris 

This is Paris' 18th campaign in the Champions League proper. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in the last 14 campaigns.

Fifteenth in last season's league phase (W4 D1 L3), Enrique's side beat Brest (10-0 aggregate), Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal to reach the showpiece in Munich, where their 5-0 win against Inter was the biggest final victory in European Cup history.

Arsenal 

Having not featured in the Champions League proper between 2016/17 and 2023/24, Arsenal are making their third successive appearance.

The Gunners reached the semi-finals last season – their best run in the competition since 2008/09 – before that 1-3 aggregate defeat by eventual champions Paris.

Links and trivia

Paris are the first French club to reach three European Cup finals and the first to appear in consecutive finals. Last season they became only the second Ligue 1 side to win the competition, after Marseille in 1992/93.

Paris are the first defending champions to reach the final since Real Madrid in 2016/17 and 2017/18; the Spanish side, who had also triumphed in 2015/16, won the trophy in both seasons.

Prior to last season's record win against Inter, Paris' sole final appearance was a 1-0 defeat by Bayern in Lisbon in 2019/20.

Paris have scored 44 goals in this season's Champions League – one short of Barcelona's competition record of 45, set in 1999/2000.

The French side have never drawn 0-0 in the knockout phase – all 64 of their games have produced at least one goal.

Paris have lost only two of their last 20 European matches (W13 D5) and only two of their last 17 in the Champions League knockout phase (W13 D2).

Enrique is in his third final as a coach, having won with Barcelona in 2015 and Paris last season. Only four coaches have more than two titles: Carlo Ancelotti (five), Bob Paisley, Zinédine Zidane and Pep Guardiola (all three).

The seventh coach to win the European Cup with two clubs last season, Enrique can now become the first Spaniard to win consecutive finals since Real Madrid's José Villalonga in 1955/56 and 1956/57.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has the most goal involvements in this season's knockout phase with ten (seven goals, three assists).

Kvaratskhelia has equalled Zlatan Ibrahimović's Paris club record, set in 2013/14, of most goals in a single Champions League season with ten.

Fifteen of the 16 Paris players who appeared in last season's final are still in the squad, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the only departure. Marquinhos (Paris 2020, 2025) and Lucas Hernández (Atlético de Madrid 2016, Paris 2025) have already featured in two finals.

Willian Pacho, Vitinha, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Nuno Mendes have featured in all 16 of Paris' Champions League matches this season.

Arsenal have reached the final for the second time, 20 years after their 2-1 defeat by Barcelona at the Stade de France.

Arsenal are aiming to win their second UEFA club competition, having lifted the Cup Winners' Cup in 1993/94 with a 1-0 victory over Parma in Copenhagen after beating Paris in the semi-finals.

The Gunners could become the second club to win both the men's and women's Champions League, following Barcelona.

Mikel Arteta's side are the fifth different English club to reach the final in eight seasons after Liverpool (2019, 2022), Tottenham (2019), Manchester City (2021, 2023) and Chelsea (2021).

Arsenal are bidding to become the seventh English club to lift the European Cup, after Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. Germany, Italy and Netherlands are joint second on that list with three different winners.

The Londoners could become the 25th team to win the European Cup, a season after Paris became the 24th. There have not been first-time winners in successive editions since Barcelona and Marseille in 1991/92 and 1992/93 respectively.

Having been crowned Premier League champions on 19 May, Arsenal could become the fourth English club to win the league title and European Cup in the same season, after Liverpool (1976/77, 1983/84), Manchester United (1998/99, 2007/08) and Manchester City (2022/23).

Arsenal are the only unbeaten team in this season's Champions League (W11 D3), their longest run in European Cup history.

The Gunners have conceded only six goals in their 14 matches this season.

Arsenal's tally of nine clean sheets this season is one short of the record for a single Champions League campaign, held jointly by Arsenal themselves (2005/06) and Real Madrid (2015/16).

Two members of the Arsenal squad have played in a Champions League final: Kai Havertz scored Chelsea's winner in 2021 while Gabriel Jesus came off the bench for Manchester City in the same match.

Arteta is the fourth Spanish coach to reach a Champions League final with a non-Spanish team after Rafael Benítez (Liverpool), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) and Enrique (Paris).

Arsenal have used 29 players this season, David Raya and Gabriel Martinelli making the joint-most appearances with 13.

Aged 19 years 246 days, Myles Lewis-Skelly could become only the second English player to reach 20 Champions League appearances as a teenager after Jude Bellingham (19 years 104 days).