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Champions League Final Guide: Teams, Venue, Time, Pre-Match Show – All You Need To Know

Arsenal booked their place in the Champions League final, with PSG or Bayern to join them at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30 in a showpiece with an earlier kick-off

The Champions League trophy is displayed ahead of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final draw, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Friday, Febr. 27, 2026. | Photo: AP/MARTIAL TREZZINI
Summary
  • Arsenal reached the Champions League final after beating Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals

  • PSG lead Bayern 5-4 after the first leg in Paris, with the second leg in Munich deciding Arsenal’s opponent

  • The final will be staged at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on May 30, with kick-off moved forward to 1800 CET

Arsenal became the first team to book its place in the 2026 Champions League final by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will join the Premier League club in the showpiece at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary this month.

Defending champion PSG leads Bayern 5-4 after a thrilling first leg in Paris. The second leg is on Wednesday in Munich.

Here’s what to know about the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final and what time is the kick off?

This year’s final will be staged in Budapest on May 30. Kick off time has been brought forward to 1800 CET, having traditionally been played 2100 CET. Governing body UEFA said the decision for an earlier kick off was to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics such as public transport.

Who is headlining the pre-match show?

Rock band the Killers will be performing on the night. In recent years Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined.

About the finalists

Arsenal is in the final for the first time since 2006. It is only its second time in the final and it has never won European club soccer’s top competition, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.

Mikel Arteta’s team was beaten in last year’s semifinals by eventual champion PSG.

PSG is aiming to become only the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles, having lifted the trophy for the first time last year.

Since the tournament was rebranded as the Champions League in the 1992-93 campaign only Real Madrid has retained the title, winning three times in succession from 2016-18.

Bayern has won the Champions League or European Cup on six occasions — most recently in 2020. Victory this year would see it equal AC Milan’s total of seven titles to make the German giant the joint second most successful team in the competition’s history behind Madrid, which is a 15-time winner.

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About the Puskas Arena

The 67,000-seater stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon, who won three European Cups as a player.

Recent winners

  • 2025 PSG

  • 2024 Real Madrid

  • 2023 Manchester City

  • 2022 Real Madrid

  • 2021 Chelsea

Most Champions League/European Cup wins

  • 15 Real Madrid

  • 7 AC Milan

  • 6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool

  • 5 Barcelona

  • 4 Ajax

  • 3 Manchester United, Inter Milan

Where is the 2026-27 Champions League final?

The 2027 final will be staged at Atletico Madrid’s stadium the Estadio Metropolitano. It is the second time it has held the final, having staged the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham.

The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.

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