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

Aston Villa have secured the second major European trophy in their history, sweeping to victory 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 head coach Unai Emery, victory in Turkey extended his record as the Europa League’s most decorated coach: the Spaniard has now won Europe’s second-tier club tournament five times.

Who will Villa face in the UEFA Super Cup?

Villa, who had not lifted major continental silverware since winning the European Cup in 1982, will now have the chance to claim the second UEFA Super Cup in their history.

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 holders of the Champions League.

Arsenal and PSG meet in 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?

After a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final, Aston Villa went on to face Barcelona in the Super Cup. This was before the fixture had been established as a season-opening event; instead, it was played in January 1983, over two legs.

What’s more, Barça qualified as winners of the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup. The Europa League holders were not given a ticket to the Super Cup until 2000 (at a time when Europe’s secondary 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 English side 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?

The winners of the Europa League are 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 tournament.

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 fifth berth in the competition by earning what’s known as the ‘European Performance Spot’, thanks to its league’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 earn the Premier League’s ‘European Performance Spot’ 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.

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