Luis Enrique’s era at Paris Saint-Germain is on the verge of yielding more glory as the side reached the Champions League final for the second consecutive year, something no French team has done before. PSG are now just one win away from retaining their silverware, which only eight teams have done previously in the competition’s history. Their journey to the final of the competition has been nothing short of thrilling, much like the previous one. They had a similar experience of underperforming in the League Phase but managed to turn things around in the later stages of the knockout rounds. The Parisians showed that they are not a one-off unit but are now truly a regular contender for the Champions League, moving away from their chase for superstars but creating a pack of them with a functional unit under a mastermind like Enrique, who has seen it before. Arsenal are the only side that stands between them and getting their hands on the trophy again as PSG prepares for an exciting showpiece at Budapest.
Here is the journey of PSG reaching the Champions League 2025-26 final:
League Phase struggles
PSG probably had the most challenging League Phase schedule, so, like last season, they failed to assert their authority during this stage. They had to settle for a knockout playoff spot by finishing 11th in the 36-team table, winning half of the eight games, drawing and losing twice. The start was perfect for the Parisians as they thrashed Atalanta 4-0 before securing a stoppage-time comeback win over Barcelona in Spain. After registering another thrilling 7-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, they suffered their first setback of the season by losing to 10-man Bayern in Paris. However, they quickly return to winning ways with another high-scoring victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Still, the team was unable to shake off its lingering issues and they were exposed in the final three games of the League Phase. A shocking goalless draw against lowly Athletic Club, the first such result for PSG in a decade, was followed by the upset against Sporting CP in Lisbon. That unexpected defeat made it very difficult for Luis Enrique’s men to book a place in the Round of 16 directly, but they still had the chance on the final day of the League Phase. Yet, they spurned that opportunity too, with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United in front of their own fans despite taking the lead as early as the eighth minute of the game. Ultimately, the Parisians finished just two points short of the top eight berth.
Edging spirited Monaco
It meant the holders had to go through the extra knockout round, like last season, to make it to the Round of 16 and once again were drawn against a fellow Ligue 1 outfit at this stage, AS Monaco. PSG obliterated Brest 10-0 on aggregate last time, but the principality club is nothing like that and turned out to be a bogey team for them this season. Their sprawling counter-attacking style of play put the European powerhouse under a lot of pressure. Having already beaten them in the league, the side made it tough once again in the continental meeting. Monaco hosted the first leg and took just 55 seconds to get on the scoresheet, capitalising on a mistake by Nuno Mendes. If that was not enough, Florian Balogun went on to complete his brace to give the host a 2-0 advantage inside 18 minutes.
The visitors were stunned as they were unfamiliar with such a situation before, but here their individual genius came into play. The hot talent Desire Doue came to their rescue with a strike on either side of Achraf Hakimi's goal to complete the comeback, having scored the quickest goal in the competition's history by a substitute, with Monaco also going down to 10-men. The same thing played out in the reverse leg at the French capital, with the visitors this time going ahead on the stroke of half-time. However, they piled up their misery again by having a player sent off in the second half, which PSG took full advantage of with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and captain Marquinhos getting on the scoresheet in the span of six minutes. Substitute Jordan Teze’s stoppage-time strike did make it interesting at the end, but it was ultimately too little too late for Monaco as PSG secured a crazy 5-4 aggregate win to move into the last-16.
Blowing away Chelsea
So far, Enrique’s side has had a rollercoaster ride, but their efficiency in clutch moments has bailed them out of tough situations. Now reaching the last-16, PSG figured themselves out at the crucial period in the competition, showing just how classy the side has become under their Spanish coach. Even though Chelsea, plagued by their own issues, cancelled their lead twice, the mounting pressure from the first leg’s host was too much to handle for the Premier League side. After it remained 2-2 close to the hour mark, a catastrophic error from the Blues’ keeper allowed Vitinha to score, a lead PSG did not lose and the one which opened the floodgates.
It became the ‘Kvaradona’ show after that, as the Georgian superstar scored a late brace, bamboozling the opposition defence completely to claim a huge 5-2 victory.
The tie was practically done, but PSG needed to address the leaking of goals and had an opportunity to put out a statement in the return leg at Stamford Bridge. The Ligue 1 giants blew apart Chelsea again, claiming an utterly dominant 3-0 victory with Kvaratskhelia coming back to haunt them, while Bradley Barcola and teenager Senny Mayulu scored the other. More importantly, the side managed a clean sheet, with the majority of the credit for reclaiming defensive solidity going to Matvey Safonov, who made the number one spot his own ahead of summer signing Lucas Chevalier. It was also a sweet revenge of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup final loss held last summer, where Chelsea stunned them with the same scoreline.
Downing Liverpool again
PSG's advancement to the quarterfinals set them up against a familiar rival, Liverpool, a matchup that ignited their quest for European glory last season after years of seeking validation on the continental stage. The Reds, who won their second Premier League title last year, were a different outfit back then and gave a tough battle before bowing out of the competition on penalties. However, still under Arne Slot, the team became a shadow of themselves this time, so PSG had themselves to blame if they did not annex this tie. Now with proper oil in the wheels, the Parisians dazzled in both legs, showing the motive of taking the silverware back home again.
It took just 11 minutes for PSG to rattle the nerves of the visitors, with Doue shining again for the side. The hero of the Champions League nights, though, was Kvaratskhelia as the winger popped up again with a crucial strike to give a huge advantage in the tie. Despite the media speculating over a Liverpool comeback at Anfield in the second leg and the Reds giving some nervy moments, backed by the usual atmosphere at the stadium, Enrique’s men stood firm, with Safonov pulling out a remarkable performance in between the sticks. Balon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé then silenced the crowd completely with a late brace to make their semifinal path even clearer. PSG have now slewed Premier League teams in their last five ties against them in the knockout stage of the competition.
Escaping the best team
That landed them with a tie against the best scoring side and treble hunters, Bayern Munich, under Vincent Kompany, in the semifinal stage. With two esteemed scoring sides colliding, a goal fest was expected, but it was special in every way. Parc des Princes witnessed one of the most stunning games ever played in the competition’s history and only the second nine-goal thriller played in the main stage. PSG claimed the victory eventually in the back-and-forth game, but only just as Bayern almost completed a stunning comeback, which ended 5-4. The home side once raced to a 5-2 lead with Kvaratskhelia, the cherished name again, by scoring a brace alongside Dembélé, with Joao Neves' header from a corner also making the highlight reel. The tie seemed settled until the Bundesliga giants made a comeback, setting up an exciting second leg in Munich.
However, here is where the tactical genius of Luis Enrique came to the fore. Instead of going head-on like the first leg, the team changed the strategy with a more defensive approach and hitting back the Bavarians with the space left by the opposition through their ultra-attacking play using their pacey forwards. It took just three minutes for their plan to bear fruit and Kvaratskhelia, sounding like a broken record now, did the damage again. It was his driven cross that was smashed in by the predator Dembélé, which became the deciding strike of the tie. Bayern tried their best but failed to break PSG’s defence or Safonov’s confidence and while star striker Harry Kane did rip the net in stoppage time, it was not enough for the supposed best team in Europe to prevent Enrique’s men from entering the Champions League final for the second straight year.
