Arsenal managed one shot on target and still took PSG to penalties
In Budapest on 30 May 2026, Arsenal scored with their only effort on target in the sixth minute, then spent the night defending. Paris Saint-Germain levelled from the spot, survived extra time and won the shoot-out 4–3 when Gabriel fired over, becoming only the second club of the Champions League era to retain it, after Real Madrid in 2016–17.
The match at the Puskás Aréna closed the 71st season of UEFA's premier club competition. Both clubs had won their domestic leagues, the first time since 2020 that two national champions met in the final, and both were chasing a continental double. It was also the first final with a defending champion since 2018, and only the fourth European Cup final between clubs from two capital cities, after 1962, 1966 and 1971. PSG had beaten Arsenal in both legs of the 2025 semi-finals, 1–0 at the Emirates Stadium and 2–1 at the Parc des Princes.
For PSG, beaten by Bayern Munich in 2020 and winners in 2025, this was a third final, more than any other French club; Marseille and Stade Reims had each reached two. No club had reached back-to-back finals since Liverpool did so in 2018 and 2019. Arsenal were back for only their second, the first having ended in defeat to Barcelona in 2006. UEFA's Executive Committee had picked the Budapest venue in Dublin on 22 May 2024, and kick-off was moved to 18:00 CEST, three hours earlier than in previous editions.
Kai Havertz's opener came after a Marquinhos clearance struck Leandro Trossard and fell to him; he beat Matvey Safonov from a tight angle. The equaliser arrived in the 61st minute, when Cristhian Mosquera fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box and Ousmane Dembélé converted. Kvaratskhelia later had a shot diverted onto the post by Myles Lewis-Skelly, and by the end of normal time PSG had 18 attempts to Arsenal's four. In extra time, Arsenal claimed a penalty when Nuno Mendes brought down Noni Madueke, but the referee instead penalised Madueke for grabbing Mendes' arm and booked Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta for protesting.
The shoot-out swung on back-to-back misses: Eberechi Eze shot wide, then David Raya saved from Mendes. Every remaining taker scored until Gabriel stepped up with PSG a goal ahead and one kick left before sudden death. The win put the French side into the 2026 UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winners Aston Villa and booked a place in FIFA's 2026 Intercontinental Cup final. Street celebrations in Paris turned into rioting, with 283 arrests in the capital and 133 elsewhere in France.
Source: 2026 UEFA Champions League final
