Paris Saint-Germain will launch their 2026-2027 season against English side Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, August 12. The match takes place at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, with kick-off scheduled for 9 p.m.
The double European champions won their second consecutive Champions League title just over two months ago. They are now defending the UEFA Super Cup title they won last year against Tottenham in a match that ended 2-2 before Paris Saint-Germain won 4-3 on penalties.
That victory marked the start of a five-trophy season for the French club, including the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the Trophée des Champions, Ligue 1, and the Champions League. Meanwhile, Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz helped Spain win the World Cup during the summer break.
Summer transfer window and squad changes
Paris Saint-Germain kept their core squad from the past two seasons while completing record player sales under Qatari ownership. The club earned over 150 million euros from selling Portuguese forward Gonçalo Ramos to AC Milan, South Korean midfielder Kang-in Lee to Atlético Madrid, and international centre-forward Randal Kolo Muani to Juventus Turin following his loan at Tottenham.
Further sales could take place, as Liverpool may offer nearly 115 million euros for former Lyon winger Bradley Barcola. Paris Saint-Germain also strengthened their roster last week by signing two French internationals.
Attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, who is 24 years old and has 10 caps, joined from Monaco and will wear number 11. Left-back Lucas Digne, who is 33 years old and has 64 caps, returned to Paris nearly ten years after his first spell at the club.
Digne spent the last four seasons at Aston Villa in Birmingham and could make his debut alongside Akliouche against his former team. Young Italian goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni, who is 18 years old, also joined the Parisian club this summer.
Preseason friendly results and preparation
Paris Saint-Germain enter the match looking for their first win of the season after two unconvincing friendly matches. Head coach Luis Enrique fielded a heavily rotated team on August 5 against Spanish second division club Mallorca in the Balearics.
Despite including Matvey Safonov, Lucas Beraldo, Willian Pacho, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the team lost 3-0 while showing physical limitations. Assistant coach Rafael Pol said after the match that the circumstances were special, with only a few days of training and several players making their professional debut, adding that the squad needed to keep working.
Three days later in Sweden, Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 against Manchester United. Eighteen-year-old Spaniard Dro Fernandez, who joined from Barcelona during the winter transfer window, set up 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye for an early opening goal.
Substitutes Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Vitinha entered in the second half. Pol said after the game that Paris struggled to control the match, but noted that this was normal because there was still a lot of preparation to catch up on.
Squad availability and player fitness
Although the full squad arrived in Austria, the final returning international players only trained at Campus PSG in Poissy on Monday, less than 72 hours before kick-off. French players Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Lucas Hernandez are available alongside Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi and Spanish World Cup winner Fabian Ruiz.
Young players Ibrahim Mbaye, Quentin Ndjantou, and Dro Fernandez are also included in the squad. Captain Marquinhos and Portuguese players Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Vitinha are expected to feature after playing against Manchester United.
Pol said on Saturday that those players could play more against Aston Villa under circumstances similar to last year's match against Tottenham after ten days of training, adding that they integrated back into the team quickly. Somalian referee Omar Artan, who was turned away from the United States before the 2026 World Cup, will officiate the match.
Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is expected to start in attack. The 25-year-old was named best player of the last Champions League and rested this summer after Georgia failed to qualify for the World Cup, as he aims for a strong start to the season with the Ballon d'Or in mind.
