The UEFA Super Cup is European football's curtain-raiser: a single match between the reigning UEFA Champions League winners and the holders of the UEFA Europa League, played at the start of each season.
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Aston Villa
The competition began in 1972 as the brainchild of Dutch journalist Anton Witkamp, who wanted a definitive test of the best side in Europe during Ajax's period of dominance. That first meeting, in which Ajax beat Rangers 3-1 and 3-2 across two legs, is not officially recognised by UEFA, whose records begin with the following edition.
From the start until 1999 the Super Cup pitted the European Cup or Champions League holders against the winners of the European Cup Winners' Cup. When that competition was abolished, its place passed to the UEFA Cup, rebranded as the Europa League in 2009. Three years have no entry at all: 1973, 1981 and 1985.
UEFA Super Cup Finals 1972 to 2026
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
It takes place at the start of the domestic season. From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup / Champions League and the winners of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009.
UEFA Super Cup Finals 1972 to 2026 (52 played)
UEFA Super Cup Order of Merit
| Nat | Badge | Club | Wins | 2nd | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Real Madrid |
6 |
3 |
9 |
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Barcelona | 5 | 4 | 9 |
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AC Milan | 5 | 2 | 7 |
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Liverpool | 4 | 2 | 6 |
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Ajax | 3 | 1 | 4 |
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Atlético Madrid | 3 | 3 | |
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Bayern Munich | 2 | 3 | 5 |
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Chelsea | 2 | 3 | 5 |
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Paris Saint-Germain |
2 |
1 |
3 |
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Sevilla | 1 | 6 | 7 |
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FC Porto | 1 | 3 | 4 |
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Manchester United | 1 | 3 | 4 |
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Aston Villa | 1 |
1 |
2 |
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Dynamo Kyiv | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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Nottingham Forest | 1 | 1 | 2 |
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FC Steaua București | 1 | 1 | |
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Galatasaray | 1 | 1 | |
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KV Mechelen | 1 | 1 | |
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Manchester City |
1 |
1 |
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Parma | 1 | 1 | |
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SS Lazio | 1 | 1 | |
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Zenit St Petersburg | 1 | 1 | |
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SV Hamburg | 2 | 2 | |
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Arsenal | 1 | 1 | |
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Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 1 | |
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CSKA Moscow | 1 | 1 | |
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Feyenoord | 1 | 1 | |
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Inter Milan | 1 | 1 | |
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PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 1 | |
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Rangers | 1 | 1 | |
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Real Zaragoza | 1 | 1 | |
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Red Star Belgrade | 1 | 1 | |
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Sampdoria | 1 | 1 | |
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Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | 1 | |
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Werder Bremen | 1 | 1 | |
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Villarreal | 1 | 1 | |
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Eintracht Frankfurt | 1 | 1 | |
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Atalanta | 1 | 1 | |
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Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals |
52 |
52 | 104 | ||
1972 match not recognised officially by UEFA
UEFA Super Cup Records and Trends
The most successful clubs
Real Madrid stand alone at the top with six titles, won in 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2024. Barcelona and AC Milan follow on five apiece, though the two Spanish giants share the record for finals reached, with nine each. Liverpool are the leading English club on four, their wins spread across four decades from 1977 to 2019.
Paris Saint-Germain join a club of two
By beating Aston Villa 2-1 in Salzburg, PSG became only the second side to retain the Super Cup, following Real Madrid's back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017. It is a harder feat than it looks: retaining the trophy requires winning the Champions League in consecutive seasons, which almost nobody manages. PSG now have two titles from three appearances, having lost their first final to Juventus in 1996.
Sevilla's unwanted record
No club has lost the Super Cup more often than Sevilla. Seven appearances have yielded a single win, in 2006, against six defeats in 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2023. Their record is a direct product of Europa League dominance: repeatedly qualifying as holders of the secondary competition has meant repeatedly facing the Champions League winners.
Wins by nation
Spain's total is built on Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with Valencia and Sevilla adding three more between them. England's ten are shared across six clubs: Liverpool, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Manchester City. Villa's 2026 defeat means England's tally is unchanged, though they remain the only nation to have supplied six different winners.
From two legs to one night
For most of its early history the Super Cup was a two-legged tie, home and away. Single-match editions appeared sporadically from 1984 before becoming permanent in 1998, when the Stade Louis II in Monaco took on the fixture as a fixed home. Monaco held it until 2012, after which UEFA moved to a rotating host, taking the match to Prague, Cardiff, Tbilisi, Trondheim, Skopje, Tallinn, Istanbul, Budapest, Belfast, Helsinki, Piraeus, Warsaw, Udine and, in 2026, Salzburg. The Austrian city staged the fixture for the first time, becoming the first host in Austria in the competition's history.
Where to go next
For the year-by-year record of the competition that supplies one of the two finalists, see our UEFA Europa League hub. The full range of our European coverage, from qualifying through to the finals, sits in the UEFA section.
UEFA Super Cup FAQs
Short answers to the questions readers ask most often about the competition, its winners and its history.
Who won the 2026 UEFA Super Cup?
Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Aston Villa 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg on 12 August 2026. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring, Brian Madjo equalised for Villa on the stroke of half time, and Desire Doue won it just after the hour.
Who has won the most UEFA Super Cups?
Real Madrid, with six titles. They won in 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2024. Barcelona and AC Milan are next on five each.
Has any club ever retained the UEFA Super Cup?
Twice. Real Madrid won in 2016 and 2017, and Paris Saint-Germain followed in 2025 and 2026. It is rare because retaining the trophy normally means winning the Champions League in consecutive seasons.
When was the first UEFA Super Cup played?
In 1972, when Ajax beat Rangers 3-1 and 3-2 over two legs. UEFA does not officially recognise that edition, so its own records begin with the following one.
Which two teams play in the UEFA Super Cup?
The reigning UEFA Champions League winners against the reigning UEFA Europa League winners. Until 1999 the second place went to the holders of the European Cup Winners' Cup, and after that competition was abolished it passed to the UEFA Cup, which became the Europa League in 2009.
Why was there no UEFA Super Cup in 1973, 1981 and 1985?
The 1981 tie between Liverpool and Dinamo Tbilisi was abandoned because the clubs could not agree a date. The 1985 meeting of Juventus and Everton fell through after English clubs were banned from European competition for five years following the Heysel Stadium disaster. No fixture is recorded for 1973.
Which country has won the UEFA Super Cup most often?
Spain, with 17 wins from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla. England follow on 10 and Italy on 9.
Which English club has won the UEFA Super Cup the most times?
Liverpool, with four wins in 1977, 2001, 2005 and 2019. Chelsea have two, while Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Manchester City have one each.
Has the UEFA Super Cup always been a one-off match?
No. It was played over two legs for most of its early history. Single-match editions appeared from 1984 and became permanent in 1998, when the Stade Louis II in Monaco became the fixed venue. UEFA switched to a rotating host from 2013.
Which club has lost the UEFA Super Cup most often?
Sevilla, who have finished runners-up six times from seven appearances. Their only win came in 2006.