Champions League final: PSG and Arsenal face off for European club soccer's greatest prize

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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for back-to-back Champions League titles in Saturday's final in Budapest. Arsenal is trying to win it for the first time in its history.

European club soccer's biggest prize is at stake when the champions of France and England face off at the Puskas Arena in Hungary.

Titleholder PSG can become only the second team in the modern era to retain the trophy after Real Madrid, which won three in a row from 2016-18.

Arsenal, meanwhile, is heading into the game on a high after ending its 22-year wait to lift the Premier League title again. This is only its second time in the final, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.

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

Kickoff has been brought forward to 1600 GMT, having traditionally been played in the evening. Governing body UEFA made the change to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics, such as public transport, in Budapest.

American rock band The Killers will be performing. In recent years, Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined the pre-match show.

Only Madrid has managed to retain the European Cup since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.

AC Milan, Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United all lost in the final the year after winning the trophy, so PSG is on the brink of greatness.

Despite being one of the most storied teams in England, Arsenal is still to be crowned champion of Europe. Twenty years on from reaching its only final, it is aiming to complete the greatest season in the club's history by winning a Premier League and Champions League double.

Victory would see Luis Enrique become only the fifth coach to win three or more Champions League or European Cup titles.

5 Carlo Ancelotti

3 Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola

The 67,000-seat 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.

2025 PSG

2024 Real Madrid

2023 Manchester City

2022 Real Madrid

2021 Chelsea

15 Real Madrid

7 AC Milan

6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool

5 Barcelona

4 Ajax

3 Manchester United, Inter Milan

The 2027 final will take place at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano. It will be 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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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer