Concept

UEFA Super Cup

Annual European football match between the UEFA Champions League and Europa League winners.

Last refreshed: 23 July 2026

Key Question

Why do the Champions League and Europa League winners meet every August?

Background

The UEFA Super Cup is the annual match between the reigning UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League champions, traditionally staged as the curtain-raiser to the new European club season. The 2026 edition, in August, pairs Paris Saint-Germain against Aston Villa.

The fixture dates to the 1972/73 season, when it began as a two-legged tie between the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup holders. It settled into its current single-match format in 1998, played at a neutral host venue announced in advance rather than home and away, and took the UEFA Super Cup name once the Europa League succeeded the UEFA Cup as its second-tier continental competition. Real Madrid hold the record with six titles.

The trophy carries no qualification stakes of its own, but it is treated across Europe as the first meaningful form guide of the season and the traditional season-opener for the two clubs that contest it, giving it outsized profile relative to its single-match format.

Common Questions

What is the UEFA Super Cup?

It is the annual match between the reigning UEFA Champions League winners and UEFA Europa League winners, played each August as the traditional opener to the European club season.

Who is playing in the UEFA Super Cup 2026?

Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa in the August 2026 UEFA Super Cup.

How many times has Real Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup?

Real Madrid have won it six times, more than any other club.

Why is the UEFA Super Cup played in August?

It is staged just before the new domestic season kicks off, so it doubles as a curtain-raiser between the previous season's two biggest European trophy winners.

Where is the UEFA Super Cup played?

Since 1998 it has been a single match at a neutral host city announced by UEFA in advance, rather than a home-and-away tie.