When is European soccer coming back? PSG vs Aston Villa opens the season in the UEFA Super Cup

The 2026 World Cup is already a distant memory, although the tournament’s expanded format and later-than-usual finish mean club soccer is already back at the forefront of our minds. MLS and Liga MX are already back in action, although the biggest names in Europe have to wait a little longer to return. It won’t be long, though.

The 2026-27 Premier League season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 21, the same weekend Real Madrid and Barcelona play their opening LaLiga fixtures, although Spain’s top division actually gets underway the week before.

UEFA Champions League qualifying has been underway since July 7, although the league phase of the competition proper doesn’t begin until Sept. 8.

Before all that, however, comes the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, Aug. 12, a match many see as the curtain-raiser for Europe’s elite.

PSG and Aston Villa to battle for first European trophy

The competition pits the previous season’s Champions League winner against the Europa League champion in a one-off game, which means Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will contest this year’s trophy.

As has been the case every year since 2013, the UEFA Super Cup will be played at a different venue, with Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, selected to host the 2026 edition.

Paris Saint-Germain are the reigning UEFA Super Cup holders after defeating Tottenham Hotspur in a penalty shootout in the 2025 match in Udine, Italy. The French club also competed in 1996 but were heavily beaten by Juventus over two legs.

Aston Villa’s only previous appearance came in 1982, the year they won their only European Cup to date. The Villains also lifted the UEFA Super Cup, defeating UEFA Cup winners Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.

Omar Artan earns historic appointment

A notable feature of this year’s game in Salzburg is the appointment of Somali referee Omar Artan, who will become the first non-European official to referee the UEFA Super Cup.

Artan had been selected for the World Cup but was ultimately unable to participate after being denied entry to the United States. After that news became public, UEFA wasted little time in offering the 34-year-old an unexpected consolation prize.

“Omar Artan is an excellent young but already experienced referee, who has proven himself at the highest competition level of the Confederation of African Football,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said. “Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination.”

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