Super Cup Showdown in Salzburg
The 2026 UEFA Super Cup is set to feature UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain against UEFA Europa League victors Aston Villa. The match will take place on Wednesday, 12 August, at Stadion Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria, with a kick-off scheduled for 21:00 CET. This traditional European season curtain-raiser pits the champions of Europe’s two main club competitions against each other.
Paris Saint-Germain will be aiming to secure consecutive Super Cup titles, having won the trophy in 2025. Should they succeed, they would become only the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup, a feat previously achieved by Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017. Last season, the French champions triumphed over Tottenham on penalties in the Super Cup held in Udine, Italy.
Aston Villa enters the contest following their victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul. The club has a history with the Super Cup, having won it once before in the 1982/83 season by defeating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate over two legs.
Team Preparations and Key Players
Both teams have made adjustments to their squads ahead of the Super Cup. Paris Saint-Germain recently announced the arrival of attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco. Young talent Senny Mayulu could be in line for a starting position as he continues to establish himself, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has had an uninterrupted pre-season, is expected to be a key player.
Aston Villa has also strengthened their roster with new signings. Centre-back Modou Kéba Cissé has joined from Austrian side LASK, midfielder João Gomes moved from Wolves, and Argentinian winger Alejandro Garnacho is a loan addition from Chelsea. These three players could potentially make their competitive debuts in Salzburg. However, Johan Manzambi, the 2025/26 Europa League Revelation of the Season winner from Freiburg, will miss the Super Cup due to a knee injury.
Predicted line-ups for Paris include Safonov; Zabarnyi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; João Neves, Vitinha, Dro Fernández; Mbaye, Mayulu, Kvaratskhelia. Players such as Barcola, Dembélé, Doué, Fabián Ruiz, Hakimi, Lucas Hernández, and Zaïre-Emery are listed as doubtful due to fitness concerns.
Aston Villa’s predicted starting XI features Bizot; Cash, Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Maatsen; João Gomes, Kamara; McGinn, Buendía, Garnacho; Abraham. Bailey (muscular), Manzambi (knee), and Onana (knee) are out, while Garnacho (facial), McGinn (knee), Konsa, Martínez, and Watkins are doubtful due to fitness.
Match Officials and Venue Details
The Super Cup will be officiated by Omar Artan, a Somali referee. Artan was named the 2025 Caf men’s referee of the year. His appointment was made after discussions with the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
The Red Bull Arena, also known as Stadion Salzburg for UEFA events, has a capacity of 30,000 and is the home ground of FC Salzburg. This venue previously hosted three games during UEFA EURO 2008, which Austria co-hosted with Switzerland. It marks the first time this stadium will host a showcase UEFA club final since the fixture moved from its long-term home in Monaco.
The UEFA Super Cup has been an official fixture since 1973. Initially, it featured the winners of the Champions League (or equivalent) and the European Cup Winner’s Cup until the latter was discontinued in 1999. Since then, the Europa League winners have become the opponents. Of the 50 previous editions, the European Cup/Champions League holders have won 30 times.
Real Madrid holds the record for the most Super Cup victories with six titles. Liverpool is the most successful English side with four wins, and Aberdeen is the only Scottish team to have won the Super Cup. The match will proceed directly to a penalty shoot-out if scores are level after normal time, with no extra time played.
Source: uefa.com
