UEFA Super Cup

Lore & Background

From 1972 to 1999, the UEFA Super Cup was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, which was renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009. The current holders are Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, who defeated Europa League winners Aston Villa 2–1 in the 2026 edition. Real Madrid are the most successful team in the competition, having won the trophy six times. The European Super Cup was created in 1971 by Anton Witkamp, a reporter and later sports editor of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The 1972 final between Ajax and Rangers is considered unofficial by UEFA. The 1973 final, in which Ajax defeated AC Milan 6–1 on aggregate, was the first Super Cup officially recognised and supported by UEFA. In 1974, 1981 and 1985, the Super Cup was not played at all. Since 1998, the Super Cup has been played as a single match at a neutral venue. Between 1998 and 2012, the Super Cup was played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. Since 2013, it has been played in various stadiums.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights cut through a thin summer haze as the two teams walk out under a canopy of confetti already settling on the pitch. The commentary booth is live, the crowd a single roaring block behind one goal. There is no second chance, no home advantage to lean on—just ninety minutes and a trophy waiting on a pedestal in the centre circle. The manager checks the tactical board one last time. The referee raises the whistle. The season's final chapter begins.

Reader's Guide

The UEFA Super Cup is contested as a single match at a neutral venue. The match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, the match goes straight to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners. Before the 2023 edition, two additional 15-minute periods of extra time were played before the match went to penalties if still level. The Super Cup trophy is retained by UEFA at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to the winning club. Forty gold medals are presented to the winning club and forty silver medals to the runners-up. As of 2024, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is €5 million for the winners and €4 million for the runners-up.

Did You Know?

• The first official Super Cup trophy was won by Ajax in January 1974.
• The 1972 final between Ajax and Rangers is considered unofficial by UEFA due to Rangers being banned from European competition.
• In 2013, Chelsea became the first club to contest the Super Cup as holders of all three UEFA club honours.
• The 2020 Super Cup was the first official UEFA match to have spectators since competitions resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic.