Salzburg to host Super Cup clash between Paris and Aston Villa

By Charlie Bradshaw — 10 August 2026 — 3 min read

The 2026 UEFA Super Cup will feature UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain against UEFA Europa League victors Aston Villa. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, 12 August, in Salzburg, Austria, with a 21:00 CET kick-off time. This traditional curtain-raiser for the European season will see Paris aim for consecutive Super Cup titles, while Villa seeks to add another European trophy.

Paris, under manager Luis Enrique, will attempt to 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. The French champions secured their place in this final after defeating Tottenham on penalties in the previous season’s edition, which was held in Udine, Italy. This marks a significant opportunity for Paris to achieve a ‘double-double’ of European accomplishments, following their second consecutive Champions League win in Budapest.

Aston Villa enters the match buoyed by their victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final, which took place in Istanbul in May. This will be Villa’s second appearance in the Super Cup, having previously won the trophy in the 1982/83 season by beating Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate over two legs. Their manager, Unai Emery, has a history in the competition, though he has lost all three of his previous appearances, including matches against Luis Enrique’s Barcelona in 2015 and against Chelsea with Villarreal in 2021.

Team Preparations and Key Players

Paris has been active in the transfer market, announcing 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, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has had an uninterrupted pre-season, is expected to provide entertainment. The club has several players listed as doubtful due to fitness concerns, including Barcola, Dembélé, Doué, Fabián Ruiz, Hakimi, Lucas Hernández, and Zaïre-Emery.

Aston Villa has also strengthened their squad 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. Johan Manzambi, the 2025/26 Europa League Revelation of the Season winner, has also arrived from Freiburg but will miss the Super Cup due to a knee injury. Other players out for Villa include Bailey (muscular) and Onana (knee), while Garnacho (facial), McGinn (knee), Konsa, Martínez, and Watkins are doubtful due to fitness issues.

Match Venue and History

The match will be held at Stadion Salzburg, which is home to FC Salzburg. This venue has previously hosted three games at UEFA EURO 2008, which Austria co-hosted with Switzerland. It marks the first time this stadium will host a showcase UEFA club final. The Super Cup has been played at various locations since moving from its long-term home in Monaco, with previous venues including Prague (2013), Cardiff (2014), Tbilisi (2015), Trondheim (2016), Skopje (2017), Tallinn (2018), Istanbul (2019), Budapest (2020), Belfast (2021), Helsinki (2022), Piraeus (2023), Warsaw (2024), and Udine (2025).

The only previous meetings between Paris and Villa were in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter-finals, where the French team edged a 5-4 aggregate victory after a spirited comeback from Villa. Both managers, Luis Enrique and Unai Emery, are known for their attacking styles, suggesting another captivating encounter could be on the cards. In the event of a draw after normal time, the match will proceed directly to a penalty shoot-out, with no extra time played.

Historically, Champions League holders have won 30 of the 50 editions of the Super Cup, though Europa League winners have only claimed the trophy once in the last 13 seasons. Build-up and live coverage of the match will be available.

Source: uefa.com