PSG wins back-to-back Champions League titles after shootout win over Arsenal

By  JAMES ROBSONSunday May 31, 2026

Paris Saint-Germain did it again — and this time the repeat came with all the tension a European final could possibly offer.

PSG defended its Champions League crown in dramatic fashion on Saturday, outlasting Arsenal 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw through extra time in Budapest.

“It’s incredible,” captain Marquinhos said. “From the very first day of this season, the coach said it’s hard to win, and winning twice is even more difficult. So we all had to get back to work. That was the mentality.”

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes sent the decisive kick soaring over the bar, sealing the trophy for the French club and ending the shootout on a painful note for the Premier League side.

In the modern era, only Real Madrid have managed to keep hold of Europe’s top prize, and PSG has now joined that rare company.

Luis Enrique added a third European title to his record as a coach, further cementing a team that has grown into a force capable of overwhelming even the continent’s strongest challengers. Arsenal arrived in Budapest with plenty of momentum, having won the Premier League last week and finished the first phase of the Champions League with a perfect record, 10 points and 10 places above PSG.

But none of that counted for much at the Puskas Arena, where PSG again underlined its position at the summit of European football.

“It’s even more special because we knew before the match how difficult it would be,” Luis Enrique said. “I think it’s deserved over the course of the whole season, even if the final was very closely contested.”

After routing Inter Milan 5-0 in last year’s final, PSG faced a far sterner test this time. Arsenal defended in numbers and leaned on the competition’s best back line, forcing PSG into long spells of sterile possession.

The French side dominated the ball but produced little after falling behind to Kai Havertz’s sixth-minute strike. Only an Ousmane Dembélé penalty in the 65th minute brought PSG level, sending the final into extra time for the first time in 10 years.

PSG coach in elite company

By winning back to back, Luis Enrique accomplished what his close friend Pep Guardiola never managed after Champions League triumphs with Barcelona and Manchester City. He now stands alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Guardiola in the select group of coaches with at least three European Cups.

The next objective is to match Madrid’s three straight titles under Zidane from 2016-18. With a starting XI in Budapest whose average age was under 24, Luis Enrique has assembled a side that could be built to stay near the top for years.

“It’s crazy, it’s crazy. We’re going to enjoy it first, and after we’re going to work and work again because we want more. We are really hungry. We are a young team, and we know we are really ambitious. So next season we have to go again,” Désiré Doué told broadcaster TNT Sports.

Arsenal’s long wait for European glory rolls on, despite ending a 22-year drought for the Premier League trophy.

This was the club’s 226th match in the European Cup or Champions League without lifting the trophy, more than any other side has played without becoming champion.

“First of all you have to go through that pain, digest it and then turn it into fuel and improve and reach a different level because it will demand a different level with the quality that is around Europe,” manager Mikel Arteta said.

“I want to congratulate PSG because they are, in my opinion, the best team in the world. What they are able to do with the ball, individual actions, I haven’t seen it (before).”

Arsenal comfortable defending

For long stretches, it looked as though Arsenal might finally snap its Champions League losing run. That feeling grew stronger after Havertz pounced on a breakaway early in the match and PSG appeared strangely short on invention.

Scoring so early suited Arsenal perfectly. The London club settled into a deep defensive block, absorbed pressure and made PSG look uneasy in possession.

Even with the pre-match show from rock band The Killers adding to the occasion, PSG’s performance never quite caught fire in a stadium whose acoustics only seemed to heighten the flatness. The defending champions managed just one shot on target in the opening half.

Then came the route back. Cristhian Mosquera brought down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia inside the area, and referee Daniel Siebert pointed to the spot.

Ballon d’Or holder Dembélé stepped up and finished confidently, drilling his effort low to the left while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya went the other way.

PSG supporters lit red flares, a burst of relief as much as celebration.

There were still chances to settle the contest before penalties. Kvaratskhelia struck the post on a swift counterattack in the 77th minute, and substitute Bradley Barcola missed a late opportunity by firing wide.

Arsenal were restricted to just 24.7% possession, the lowest figure recorded in a final since Opta began tracking the statistic in 2004. Even so, Arteta’s determined team stayed in the fight and pushed PSG all the way to the shootout.

Eberechi Eze missed an earlier penalty for Arsenal, while Raya kept his side alive with a save from Nuno Mendes.

Lucas Beraldo converted PSG’s final spot kick, leaving Gabriel needing to score to extend the contest. Instead, he blazed his effort high over the bar and into the mass of PSG supporters, who erupted as their team celebrated a second straight crown.

It was a familiar scene for Marquinhos, who once again lifted the trophy in the middle of the pitch as gold confetti fell and fireworks burst overhead.

French President Emmanuel Macron sent his congratulations on X: “A new star is shining over Paris!” He also told PSG’s players they were “making all of Europe dream. France is proud.”