Arsenal secure Premier League title but fall short in Champions League final

Arsenal concluded their 2025–26 campaign as Champions League runners-up after losing a penalty shootout to Paris St-Germain (PSG) in the final. The match, held on Saturday, 30 May 2026, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, ended 1-1 after extra time before PSG secured a 4-3 victory on penalties. The result marks the club’s third consecutive season finishing as runners-up in the competition.

Despite the European defeat, BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent John Murray emphasised that the club achieved its primary objective by winning the Premier League. Speaking on the Football Daily podcast, Murray noted that while missing out on Champions League glory was a disappointment, the league title fulfilled the expectation set by significant recruitment spending during the previous summer.

Murray described the team as being a penalty shootout away from being remembered forever, acknowledging the proximity to European greatness. However, he stressed that the focus for the supporters should remain on the domestic triumph, which ends a 22-year wait for a top-flight championship. The club is scheduled to hold a victory parade in north London on Sunday, 31 May, to celebrate the league win.

French journalist Julien Laurens provided additional context, suggesting that Arsenal will return stronger and are not far from winning the Champions League. Laurens urged the club not to forget how close they were to lifting the trophy, noting that the squad’s performance demonstrated their competitiveness at the highest level.

The victory confirms PSG as the first team to retain the Champions League title since Real Madrid’s reign from 2016 to 2018. Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes missed the decisive final penalty in the shootout. The upcoming parade on Holloway Road in Islington will feature both the men’s and women’s squads, beginning at 2pm BST.