What is the Champions League?
The UEFA Champions League is the biggest club football competition in the world. The best clubs from each European country qualify based on their league finishing position, and then compete in a tournament across the season. The final is played at a neutral ground and is one of the most-watched sporting events on the planet.
Want to know more? See our Champions League Explained page.
English Clubs in the 2025/26 Competition
Six English clubs competed in the 2025/26 Champions League — the most ever from one country in the same season. They were Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle.
By the semi-finals, only Arsenal remained.
Arsenal's Road to the Final
Arsenal had an extraordinary Champions League campaign, going all the way to the final without losing a single game in normal time across the entire tournament. Their run included:
Beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16
Beating Sporting CP over two legs in the quarter-finals
Reaching the semi-finals, where they beat Atletico Madrid
The Final: Arsenal 1-1 PSG (Paris Saint-Germain win 4-3 on penalties)
The 2025/26 Champions League final was played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on 30 May 2026. Arsenal faced Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions and one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, backed by Qatari investment.
Arsenal took the lead after just 6 minutes through Kai Havertz — the German striker who had previously won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 — slotting home from a tight angle after a Leandro Trossard charge down.
Arsenal held that lead until the 65th minute when Ousmane Dembele, the Ballon d’Or winner, won a penalty and converted it himself, sending goalkeeper David Raya the wrong way.
Neither team could score in extra time, despite Arsenal having the ball in the net in extra time only to be denied by the referee. The match went to a penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout
In a shootout, each team takes turns to score from the penalty spot. It is one of the most nerve-shredding experiences in sport.
Arsenal‘s Eberechi Eze — who had scored brilliantly throughout the tournament — missed first, dragging his kick wide. Then PSG’s Nuno Mendes missed, and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya saved to keep the scores level. But then, at the crucial moment, Arsenal defender Gabriel — arguably their best player all night — blazed his kick over the crossbar. PSG won 4-3 on penalties.
“An incredible season came to an end in the cruellest way,” said Arsenal‘s official match report. Gabriel, who had put his body on the line for 120 minutes, pulled his shirt over his face as teammates rushed to console him.
For PSG, it was back-to-back Champions League titles — only the second team to defend the trophy since Real Madrid’s three-in-a-row between 2016 and 2018.
What It Means for Arsenal
Arsenal had won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final in the same season — something only the very greatest clubs manage. Their wait for a first Champions League trophy continues, but this was the closest they have ever come. Manager Mikel Arteta spoke of “writing a new chapter” — domestically, they delivered. In Europe, the chapter ends with heartbreak.
