It was only a year ago when Paris Saint-Germain knocked out Arsenal in the semi-finals of the UCL and they went on to become the Champions of Europe. 

Now, the two teams are going to meet again but this time they are meeting in the final on May 30 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. 

AfroPari is taking a closer look at what is set to be the biggest match of the season.  

What is at stake

PSG are the reigning champions and they are looking to get a second consecutive UCL trophy and if they beat Arsenal, they are going to be the first team after Real Madrid between 2016 to 2018 to win the trophy and defend it. 

The Gunners have never won the Champions League. They got to the final in 2006 but lost to Barcelona 2-1 and now 20 years on, they have another chance to win their first Champions League title as a club. 

This season, PSG have won the Ligue 1 for the fifth time in a row and Arsenal just claimed the EPL for the first time in 22 years so both teams are looking to do the double. 

Road to the final and key players

Paris Saint-Germain

On their way to the final, PSG beat every English side they face: Chelsea in the round of 16 were trashed 8-2 on aggregate and the team went on to beat Liverpool in the quarterfinal. 

The semi-final match they played against Bayern Munich is one of the most spectacular games in UCL history as PSG won 6-5 on aggregate. 

It is not a doubt that PSG has the best attack in the UCL. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has shown he is a key player for the Parisians scoring 10 goals and providing 6 assists. One thing worth noting is the fact that the Georgian is unpredictable when it comes to 1v1 situations and he is capable of single handedly changing the game. 

Then there is Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé who is always a threat to opponent and a goalscorer. He scored thrice in the semi-final against Bayern Munich to secure his team’s ticket to the Champions League final 2026. 

Paris Saint-Germain has really good players in every position on the field and it is easy to see why Luis Enrique’s side are considered the favorites over Arsenal to win the league. 

Arsenal

The Londoners are good defensively and have gone through the tournament without any defeat which is 14 games undefeated. They played and battled hard against Atlético Madrid and a strike from winger Bukayo Saka was all it took to get to their first UCL final in 20 years. 

Saka is a leader for the Gunners’ attack but then the top scorers in the team are Gabriel Martinelli (6 goals) and Viktor Gyökeres (5 goals).

Declan Rice is the key man in the midfield for Arsenal and he is good at winning the ball and making passes into his teammates while also having an eye for goal with his long range shots. His free kicks will forever haunt Madrid fans. 

Mikel Arteta will be hoping to prevent PSG from getting space that they need and will rely on counterattacks. Good thing they have a good defense and their two center-backs in William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães are really good at set pieces. 

Who will win Champions League 2026? 

Join a promo from AfroPari: go on to bet on your favorites and get 50% cashback. 

It is your chance to decide who wins: would it be PSG’s second or Arsenal’s first?