Paris vs Aston Villa Super Cup preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to claim consecutive UEFA Super Cups when they take on Europa League victors Aston Villa in the 2026 final in Salzburg, Austria, on Wednesday 12 August.

Where to watch Paris vs Aston Villa on TV

Details of local 2026 UEFA Super Cup broadcast partner(s) are available here.

What do you need to know?

What's at stake?

The traditional European season curtain-raiser sees Luis Enrique's all-conquering Paris seek to become only the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup after Real Madrid managed it in 2016 and 2017. The French champions overcame Tottenham on penalties in last season's edition in Udine, Italy.

Standing in Paris' way are a Villa side who will still be buoyant from defeating Freiburg in the Europa League final on a famous night for the club in Istanbul in May. They have won the Super Cup once before, beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate over two legs in the 1982/83 season.

Repeat of a Champions League classic

The only previous meetings between Paris and Villa produced fireworks as the French team edged a thrilling Champions League quarter-final tie 5-4 on aggregate in the 2024/25 campaign, surviving a spirited Villa fightback from 5-1 down.

Another scintillating encounter could well be on the cards in Salzburg, with Spanish compatriots Luis Enrique and Unai Emery regularly lauded for their free-flowing, attacking styles.

Players to look out for

After a relatively quiet summer, on Thursday Paris announced the arrival of attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco following a series of impressive performances in recent seasons. Talented youngster Senny Mayulu may be in line for a start in Salzburg as he continues to establish himself as a key first-team player, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has enjoyed an uninterrupted pre-season and is always guaranteed to provide entertainment.

Villa have strengthened with a number of new signings. Exciting centre-back Modou Kéba Cissé has joined from Austrian side LASK, midfielder João Gomes has made the short move from Wolves and Argentinian winger Alejandro Garnacho is a loan addition from Chelsea. All three could make their competitive debuts here, from the start or off the bench. 2025/26 Europa League Revelation of the Season winner Johan Manzambi has also arrived from Freiburg, but the Swiss international misses out on the Super Cup with a knee injury.

Starting line-ups

Paris: Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; João Neves, Vitinha, Zaïre-Emery; Akliouche, Doué, Kvaratskhelia

Aston Villa: Bizot; Cash, Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Maatsen; McGinn, João Gomes, Kamara, Hemmings; Buendía, Madjo

Expert opinion

Alex Clementson, Paris reporter

'Back-to-back' read the shirts adorned by the Paris players after their second successive Champions League win in Budapest, and the 2026 Super Cup presents Les Rouge et Bleu with the chance to make it a double-double of European accomplishments. Luis Enrique's men completed a dramatic turnaround to beat Tottenham on penalties in last season's curtain-raiser, and should they repeat that feat in Salzburg, the Asturian tactician will claim a staggering 13th trophy since joining the club in 2023.

Jonny Coffey, Aston Villa reporter

Preparing for a return to Champions League competition and adapting to the departures of key players Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, Aston Villa would welcome a statement performance in Salzburg – the kind they delivered in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals when they pushed Paris to their limits. Fearless in that tie, and the triumphant Europa League campaign that followed, Emery and his charges will aim to show undimmed ambition and ability against the European champions.

View from the camps

Luis Enrique, Paris coach: "We're happy to be here, because that shows we did a good job in the last campaign. It's hard to know what our level will be, but we're excited. The important thing is to be at our best level at the end of the season, but it all starts tomorrow. Our aim is to prove how unpredictable we can be, but we're starting this campaign with the same ambition and same desire."

Marquinhos, Paris captain: "We know how hard it is. Just because we’ve won things these past seasons, that doesn’t mean it's easy. We know there'll be plenty of obstacles. We’re hungry, we want to win. Trophies are an opportunity. Personally, I want more, and each player in the squad is like that. We’ve all worked to get here, to arrive in the best condition. The team will be doing everything they can to secure victory.”

Unai Emery, Villa coach: "We’re trying to be successful through, firstly, [building] a winning team, and then aiming for the positive consequences after it: winning trophies. To play the UEFA Super Cup is another opportunity to be there, the opportunity to win a trophy, to play against Paris Saint-Germain – the [best] team in the world now and another team we can compare [ourselves] with."

John McGinn, Villa captain: "We've consistently competed with the best in England and Europe. We have our challenges and there's been a lot of change, but we have our same core, the same coach, the same methods and same desire to go and achieve more. As long as we have that hunger, Villa fans can expect as much as possible."

Is there extra time in the Super Cup?

If the scores are level after normal time the match will go straight to a penalty shoot-out. No extra time will be played.

More about the venue

Getty Images

The stadium is home to FC Salzburg, who have been Champions League regulars in recent seasons but were eliminated in the league phase of last season's Europa League. It is the first showcase UEFA club final to be played at the venue, which staged three games at UEFA EURO 2008, which Austria co-hosted with neighbours Switzerland. 

This venue will be the 14th to stage the UEFA Super Cup since the fixture switched from its long-term home of Monaco, after 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).