When and where is the 2026 UEFA Super Cup? Date, time, venue, teams

Aston Villa have secured only the second major European trophy in their history, courtesy of a comprehensive triumph over Freiburg in Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League final.

The Premier League club dominated the Germans at Istanbul’s Besiktas Stadium, winning 3-0 through goals by Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers.

For Villa boss Unai Emery, victory in Turkey extends his record as the Europa League’s most decorated head coach: the Spaniard has now won the tournament five times with three clubs.

Who will Villa face in the UEFA Super Cup?

Thanks to their Europa League final win, Aston Villa can now prepare for their first appearance in the UEFA Super Cup in over four decades.

In just under three months’ time, the Birmingham team will take on Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the European club season’s curtain-raiser - a fixture that pits the winners of the Europa League against the Champions League holders.

Arsenal and PSG are to contest this season’s Champions League final on Saturday, May 30, with Budapest’s Puskás Arena the venue.

When is the 2026 UEFA Super Cup?

The 2026 UEFA Super Cup will take place at Salzburg’s Red Bull Arena on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Kickoff in Austria is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. local time. In the U.S., that translates into a 12 noon ET/9:00 a.m. PT start.

What happened the last time Villa were in the Super Cup?

Aston Villa last qualified for the Super Cup 44 years ago, by winning the 1981/82 edition of the European Cup - a tournament since rebranded as the Champions League.

Crowned continental kings by a 1-0 final win over Bayern Munich, Villa went on to face Barcelona in the Super Cup the following season. This was before the fixture had been established as a campaign-opening event; instead, it was played in January 1983, over two legs.

What’s more, Super Cup qualification worked slightly differently, as Barça claimed their place as winners of the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup. The Europa League holders were not given a ticket to the Super Cup until 2000 (at a time when Europe’s second-tier club tournament was still known as the UEFA Cup).

In Villa’s only Super Cup appearance to date, the Midlanders ran out 3-1 aggregate winners against Barça. After a 1-0 defeat in the first leg at Camp Nou, the hosts triumphed 3-0 in the return at Villa Park, in an ill-tempered encounter that witnessed three red cards.

What’s going to happen to Villa’s UCL place?

Since 2015/16, the winners of the Europa League have been given a place in the following season’s Champions League - but it remains unclear whether Aston Villa will take up their UEL ticket to Europe’s elite club competition.

With one game to go in the Premier League season, Emery’s men sit fourth in the English top flight, which currently has five places in the 2026/27 Champions League.

If Villa finally finish in the top four, they will qualify for the Champions League through their Premier League position - but England won’t get a sixth spot in the UCL.

If Villa come fifth, they will advance to the Champions League not because of their Premier League performance, but thanks to their status as Europa League winners. In this scenario, the English league would get an extra Champions League place.

Why is this?

Typically, only the first four finishers in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League. However, England has secured a berth for its fifth-placed team by earning what’s known as the ‘European Performance Spot’. This is awarded based on a country’s position in UEFA’s club coefficient rankings.

The Premier League’s ‘European Performance Spot’ can be passed down the division’s standings, but the Europa League’s Champions League place cannot.

Therefore, the only way for England to gain a sixth Champions League team is if Villa clinch the Premier League’s ‘European Performance Spot’ by coming fifth but, as Europa League winners, do not need to use it. It would instead be given to England’s sixth-placed team, which is currently Bournemouth.

Villa head into Sunday’s final round of Premier League games sitting three points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, knowing that a draw at Manchester City will guarantee fourth. The Reds must beat Brentford and hope for a City win; this dual outcome would take the Merseysiders above Villa on goal difference.

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