The 2026-27 European soccer season kicks off on Wednesday, Aug. 12 with the UEFA Super Cup: an annual one-off trophy match contested by the defending champions of the Champions League and the Europa League.
The 2026 edition of the Super Cup will see France’s Paris Saint-Germain take on England’s Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria.
PSG earned its spot in the Super Cup by beating England’s Arsenal on penalties last May in the Champions League final; that victory was the team’s second in as many seasons and established it as Europe’s most dominant club.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, earned its spot by beating Germany’s Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to clinch its first European trophy since 1982.
Here are the key factors that could decide the opening match of the European campaign.
PSG’s availability concerns
PSG’s lineup is fearsome, but it’s not expected to be complete for this season’s Super Cup. Several of its stars—including right back Achraf Hakimi, midfielder Fabian Ruiz, winger Desire Doue and striker Ousmane Dembele—are likely to miss this match after making deep runs with their national teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ruiz went all the way to the final: he started for Spain in la roja’s 1-0 win over Argentina.
Much of PSG’s attacking threat, then, should come from its Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He managed 16 goal involvements (10 goals and six assists) in 16 appearances in the Champions League last season and should be well-rested after a quiet summer. He has some experience unlocking Aston Villa: he scored a screamer in PSG’s 6-3 aggregate win over the club in the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2025.
