Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday 12 August, their first appearance in the fixture since 1982.
- Kick-off is at 9pm CET on Wednesday 12 August at Stadion Salzburg in Austria
- Villa won the only previous Super Cup they contested: a two-legged victory over Barcelona in 1982
- PSG won last year’s Super Cup, coming from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham on penalties in Udine
- If scores are level after 90 minutes the match goes straight to penalties, no extra time
Two european champions, one trophy
The UEFA Super Cup is the annual fixture that determines the best club side in Europe. Champions League holders face Europa League holders. The occasion is simple in concept and enormous in prestige. For Aston Villa, Europa League winners in Istanbul just weeks earlier, it represents the perfect opening statement of a season that will be contested entirely among European football’s elite.
Paris Saint-Germain arrive as Champions League winners and reigning Super Cup holders. The French giants came from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham on penalties in last year’s final in Udine: a demonstration of the resilience and quality that has made them one of the continent’s dominant forces across the past decade. They are the benchmark against which Villa’s Champions League ambitions will be immediately tested.
The Venue. Stadion Salzburg’s european debut
The 2026 Super Cup takes place at Stadion Salzburg, the home of FC Salzburg in Austria. It is the first major UEFA club final to be staged at the venue. The stadium previously hosted three matches at UEFA Euro 2008, co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, and has been a regular Champions League venue through Salzburg’s consistent European campaigns in recent seasons.
Salzburg becomes the 14th city to stage the Super Cup since the fixture left its long-term home of Monaco following previous editions in Prague, Cardiff, Tbilisi, Trondheim, Skopje, Tallinn, Istanbul, Budapest, Belfast, Helsinki, Piraeus, Warsaw and Udine. Austria provides a neutral and centrally located European venue that suits both clubs’ supporter bases.
What history says. Villa’s 1982 triumph over Barcelona
Villa’s only previous Super Cup appearance produced one of the most remarkable results in the competition’s history. Fresh from their 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich, the club faced Barcelona over two legs, and won. That victory, achieved just months after claiming the European Cup for the first time, remains one of the most celebrated achievements in the club’s history.
PSG’s Super Cup record is more mixed. They lifted the trophy last year against Tottenham following that dramatic penalty comeback. However, they lost their first Super Cup appearance against Juventus in 1996. The competition’s history tends to favour Champions League holders, European Cup and Champions League winners have won 30 of the 50 editions contested.
The Rules. No Extra Time, straight to penalties
One important and specific rule applies exclusively to the Super Cup. If scores are level after 90 minutes of normal time, the match proceeds directly to a penalty shootout. No extra time is played. That format rewards clinical finishing and composure under pressure, two qualities Villa demonstrated emphatically in Istanbul.
Emiliano Martinez’s penalty shootout record, World Cup final heroics in 2022, multiple club saves, makes Villa uniquely equipped for that specific scenario.
The Super Cup trophy. 58cm of European history
The UEFA Super Cup trophy stands 58cm tall and weighs 12.2kg. The current model has been in use since 2006; its classic bowl held aloft on a subtly twisted base. Winners are entitled to have a replica made at no more than four-fifths of the original’s dimensions. Villa lifted their replica in 1982. The opportunity to do so again arrives on 12 August.
ReadAstonVilla Verdict
PSG are formidable. They are the best team in Europe on paper. They have Mbappé, world-class depth, and the experience of winning at this level consistently. But Villa have Emery, a manager who has beaten PSG before, who knows European finals intimately, and who has built a squad capable of competing with anyone on their day. August 12th in Salzburg is the perfect opening chapter of the most exciting Villa season in decades
