Knockout Journey
Four ties, seven knockout matches, 19 goals scored and one penalty shoot-out. Scroll the timeline to follow Paris Saint-Germain's route to a second consecutive Champions League title, round by round.
League phase · Eight matchdays
The expanded league phase was used as a laboratory. Paris experimented with Mendes as an inverted full-back and with Dembélé in a free role, dropping points only in controlled trials of new patterns. By the final matchday, the 3-2-5 structure was automatic and Kvaratskhelia had already scored five times, securing direct passage to the Round of 16.
Round of 16 · Chelsea
This tie carried extra weight after the summer 2025 Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea. Paris answered with a 5–1 first leg built on relentless left-sided overloads, then completed the job 3–1 in the return. Kvaratskhelia struck twice across the tie, and Hakimi's cut-backs produced three goals.
Quarter-final · Liverpool
Liverpool thrive in transition, so Paris starved them of it. Two 2–0 wins came from long possession spells, a disciplined rest-defence of Marquinhos, Pacho and Vitinha, and a counter-press that regained the ball within seconds. It was the only knockout tie in which Paris kept two clean sheets.
Semi-final · Bayern Munich
Eleven goals across two legs. Paris won the first leg 4–3 in an end-to-end contest, then drew 2–2 in the return after surviving intense late pressure. Barcola's depth runs punished Bayern's high line, and Kvaratskhelia's two goals across the tie proved decisive. Defensively imperfect, emotionally monumental.
Final · Budapest · 30 May 2026
Arsenal set up in a compact mid-block and denied Paris the half-spaces for long periods. After 120 minutes finished level at 1–1, a shoot-out decided the title. Paris scored four of five; one crucial save turned the tide and confirmed back-to-back European champions.
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Round of 16
PSG vs Chelsea
Two legs · aggregate hidden
PSG8–2CHE
Legs: 5–1 and 3–1
Quarter-final
PSG vs Liverpool
Two legs · aggregate hidden
PSG4–0LIV
Legs: 2–0 and 2–0
Semi-final
PSG vs Bayern Munich
Two legs · aggregate hidden
PSG6–5FCB
Legs: 4–3 and 2–2
Final · Budapest
PSG vs Arsenal
Single match · result hidden
PSG1–1ARS
After extra time · 4–3 on penalties
Chelsea's midfield shifted aggressively towards the ball, leaving the far-side full-back isolated. Paris attacked that weakness with quick switches from Vitinha to Kvaratskhelia, who repeatedly faced one defender with Mendes overlapping. The staff also targeted the space behind Chelsea's advancing full-backs, which is where Hakimi's underlapping runs generated cut-back chances. Eight goals across two legs is an extraordinary return at this level, but the underlying numbers were even starker: Paris created roughly three times Chelsea's volume of clear chances.
Liverpool's most dangerous weapon is the fast break after a turnover. Paris neutralised it with a permanent five-player rest-defence — two centre-backs, one full-back and the double pivot — positioned before possession was even lost. When the ball did turn over, Neves and Dembélé pressed immediately, so Liverpool rarely completed the first forward pass. The 4–0 aggregate reflected dominance of territory more than chaos.
Bayern pressed high and man-to-man, which is brave against a side as mobile as Paris. The upside for Paris was space behind; the downside was that every mistake in build-up became a chance for Bayern. The result was the most open tie of the tournament. Paris's advantage came from depth runs by Barcola and Dembélé, who repeatedly beat the high line, and from Kvaratskhelia's clinical finishing in key moments.
Arsenal, whom Paris had also beaten in the 2024–25 semi-finals, prepared thoroughly. They defended the central lanes, forced Paris wide and attacked set pieces with purpose. Paris kept the ball, refused to overcommit, and trusted their shoot-out preparation. Holding their nerve with a 4–3 penalty win was the final proof of a squad that had learned to win in every style.