What to Know About the 2026 Champions League Final

Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
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What to Know About the 2026 Champions League Final

Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL

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.

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.

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.



Rogers Says ‘It’s a Lie’ That Palmer Does Not Want to Play for England

Premier League - Sunderland v Chelsea - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - November 8, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
Premier League - Sunderland v Chelsea - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - November 8, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
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Rogers Says ‘It’s a Lie’ That Palmer Does Not Want to Play for England

Premier League - Sunderland v Chelsea - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - November 8, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)
Premier League - Sunderland v Chelsea - Stadium of Light, Sunderland, Britain - November 8, 2026 Chelsea's Cole Palmer looks dejected after the match. (Reuters)

Morgan Rogers defended Cole Palmer's ‌commitment to England on Thursday, saying any suggestion that his Chelsea teammate does not want to play for the national team "is a lie" and "nonsense".

Palmer, left out of England's World Cup squad this year after a persistent groin injury affected his form, was called up by coach Thomas Tuchel for Nations League fixtures against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia in September and October.

However, he was forced to pull out due to a recurrence of the issue, with ‌Tuchel saying the ‌24-year-old "misses too many opportunities" and then leaving ‌him ⁠out of the ⁠squad for this month's games.

Asked about Palmer's exclusion after England's 2-1 win over Croatia at Wembley, goalscorer Rogers told the BBC: "He wants to be here. He wanted to get called up and he wanted to come and represent his country as he always has done.

"He was in quite ⁠a low place with his injuries last ‌year and didn't feel 100% ‌himself on the pitch, so he wants to be here and ‌he wants to be the best version of himself.

"But ‌he also has to look at his body. He wants to play for 10 or 15 years, he also has to manage himself. If he has to manage himself in the short ‌term for the greater good then he has to do that and you have ⁠to fully ⁠support it.

"It has nothing to do with England or not wanting to play with England. It's a nonsense really that people are questioning someone that wants to play for England. It's a lie."

In his post-match press conference, Tuchel told reporters it was "totally fine" for Rogers to defend Palmer.

"It's his teammate and friend," the German manager added.

"I was very happy with the emotional commitment and physical commitment of Morgan. He was our standout player today."

England next travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday in their final Nations League group stage game.


Spain’s Yamal and Oyarzabal to Return for England Showdown, Says Manager

Real Sociedad's Spanish forward #10 Mikel Oyarzabal warms up prior the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 4 football match between Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyonnais at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian on November 5, 2026. (AFP)
Real Sociedad's Spanish forward #10 Mikel Oyarzabal warms up prior the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 4 football match between Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyonnais at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian on November 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Spain’s Yamal and Oyarzabal to Return for England Showdown, Says Manager

Real Sociedad's Spanish forward #10 Mikel Oyarzabal warms up prior the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 4 football match between Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyonnais at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian on November 5, 2026. (AFP)
Real Sociedad's Spanish forward #10 Mikel Oyarzabal warms up prior the UEFA Europa League 1st round day 4 football match between Real Sociedad and Olympique Lyonnais at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian on November 5, 2026. (AFP)

Spain are set to welcome back forwards Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal for Sunday's Nations League match against England after the duo missed Thursday's 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, manager Luis de la Fuente ‌said.

Lamine had ‌stayed back in ‌Barcelona to ⁠nurse a knee ⁠injury.

"Lamine feels very good now and is really looking forward to joining the squad tomorrow," de la Fuente told Spanish ⁠television channel La 1.

Oyarzabal ‌stayed in ‌San Sebastian to be present ‌at the birth of his ‌second child. De la Fuente confirmed that he would also be part of Spain's Friday ‌evening training session.

"Mikel too. One will arrive at ⁠midday ⁠and the other a little later, but both will be with us tomorrow."

Spain have a three-point advantage over England in League A Group 3 and they will top the standings with a draw or a win.

Both sides have already qualified for the quarter-finals.


Grealish Issues Apology for Recent Absence at Everton for Disciplinary Reasons

21 November 2022, Qatar, Ar-Rayyan: England's Jack Grealish in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B soccer match between England and Iran at Khalifa International Stadium. (dpa)
21 November 2022, Qatar, Ar-Rayyan: England's Jack Grealish in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B soccer match between England and Iran at Khalifa International Stadium. (dpa)
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Grealish Issues Apology for Recent Absence at Everton for Disciplinary Reasons

21 November 2022, Qatar, Ar-Rayyan: England's Jack Grealish in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B soccer match between England and Iran at Khalifa International Stadium. (dpa)
21 November 2022, Qatar, Ar-Rayyan: England's Jack Grealish in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B soccer match between England and Iran at Khalifa International Stadium. (dpa)

On-loan Everton winger Jack Grealish has apologized for being unavailable to play for the team because he breached the club's disciplinary rules.

Grealish, who is on a second loan spell from Manchester City, has missed the last four matches for Everton's senior team, with his most recent appearance coming on Oct. 17.

He made his comeback in a behind-closed-doors match with Derby on Thursday, after which he sent a post on Instagram addressing his recent absence.

“Nice to be back out there with the boys today after a few good days training,” Grealish wrote. “I want to apologize to the fans and everyone at the club for not being able to help the team the last few weeks.

“I love playing for this club and can’t wait to be back playing in front of you guys in an Everton shirt. See you all soon.”

Everton manager David Moyes has been reluctant to discuss any finer details about Grealish's conduct, with the club only saying the 31-year-old winger was “not match-fit” ahead of a trip to Newcastle on Nov. 2.

Grealish, one of the most talked-about players in English football, was once the most expensive player in the British game after joining City from Aston Villa for 100 million pounds ($139 million) in 2021.

He helped City win the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble in 2023, but has been out of favor over the last two years.