UPDATE: Paris are the champions of Europe!

It’s the first time since 1962 that five goals have been scored in a final. Back then, Benfica defeated Real Madrid 5–3.

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Paris and Milan have long competed over which is the global capital of fashion, but tonight their rivalry shifts…to football. We’ll find out which color combination will dominate the football runway for the next year.

The blue and red of Paris Saint-Germain or the blue and black of Inter?

Paris and Inter are the two finalists of the 70th final (whether as the European Cup or the Champions League since the 1990s), with the Parisians seeking the first trophy in their history. This is their second final appearance, having lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich on August 23, 2020 (in the “COVID final”).

Inter, on the other hand, are chasing a fourth title. They won the European Cup in 1964 and 1965, and the Champions League in 2010. Simone Inzaghi hopes to become the first Italian coach to lead the Nerazzurri to the top of Europe.

Inzaghi also led Inter to the final in 2023 (a 1-0 loss to Manchester City), while in the 1960s, the legendary Argentine-Spanish coach Helenio Herrera was at the helm, and in 2010, it was José Mourinho.

Paris Saint-Germain, the nominal home team, have had a roller-coaster season. With none of their former superstars (Neymar, Messi, Mbappé) left in the squad, they had a poor start and were at risk of elimination by Matchday 7 of the League Phase. Things got worse when they went down 0-2 to City, but they pulled off a dramatic comeback (4-2), which turned their season around.

Luis Enrique’s side shifted into high gear, breezing through the knockouts. They crushed Brest (10-0 on aggregate), and beat every English team in their path (Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal).

Inter, in contrast, had a much steadier run. The Nerazzurri finished 4th in the League Phase and comfortably knocked out Feyenoord and Bayern, before a dramatic semifinal clash with Barcelona.

The 3-3 draw in Barcelona seemed impossible to repeat, yet Inter and Barça managed it again (2-3 in the 87th minute, 3-3 in stoppage time), with Inter securing the final spot via extra-time goal.

“My biggest motivation is to make history for Paris. It would be unbelievable to bring success to the city, to the country… Being the first is something special. I feel lucky, but tomorrow we’ll give everything — and more — to make our fans happy. We’ve had a tough path, played demanding matches from the start. That could be an advantage now, because we’ve played in many finals already, even in this stadium. We’re not afraid; we’ll show our best weapons,” said Luis Enrique. The Spanish coach is in his second career final, once again facing an Italian team — the first time was in 2015, when he led Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Juventus in Berlin.

“We know how to prepare for matches like this. We have World Cup winners, we have European champions. And we now have experience in reaching a Champions League final, which is as big as a World Cup or Euro final. To play and win a game like this, you need everything. We’ll need everything, and we’ll need to manage every detail perfectly, knowing that we’re facing an excellent team — like Inter — that fully deserves to be here. A team with great strength and a great coach,” said Simone Inzaghi, who may be managing his last game for Inter amid strong rumors of a move to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Paris Saint-Germain is the fifth French team to reach a Champions League/European Cup final (after Reims, Saint-Étienne, Marseille, and Monaco). They’ve won nine of their last eleven Champions League matches (2 losses) and scored the first goal in seven of their last nine games in the tournament.

This will be Inter’s seventh European Cup/Champions League final. They’ve won ten matches this season, lost only one of their 14 Champions League games in 2024/25, and are unbeaten in their last eight (6 wins, 2 draws).

This is the first-ever Champions League meeting between these two clubs — and only the second final between French and Italian teams since 1992/93, when Marseille beat Milan 1-0 in Munich (though at the Olympic Stadium, not the current venue).

Referee: István Kovács (Romania).

Predicted Lineups:

Paris Saint-Germain (Luis Enrique):
Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, João Neves, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz, Kvaratskhelia, Dembélé, Barcola.

Inter (Simone Inzaghi):
Sommer, Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Lautaro Martínez, Thuram.