Can PSG Win the Champions League Three Times in a Row?
Paris Saint-Germain have established themselves as the dominant force in European football over the past two seasons. After winning the Champions League in consecutive campaigns, Luis Enrique’s side now face the even greater challenge of becoming the first team in years to lift the trophy three times in a row.
The scale of PSG’s achievement is already considerable. They defeated Inter Milan in the 2025 Champions League final before retaining the trophy against Arsenal in 2026, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest. PSG became the first club since Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018 to win consecutive European titles.
Captain Marquinhos has made it clear that completing a historic treble of Champions League titles is now a genuine objective for the Parisian club. The Brazilian understands the difficulty of the task, but PSG will enter the new campaign determined to bring the trophy back to the French capital once again.
That ambition would have seemed far less realistic several years ago. Since the club’s transformation under Qatari ownership, PSG have dominated French football but repeatedly fallen short of their ultimate European objective. The arrival of Luis Enrique in 2023, however, marked a significant change in the club’s trajectory.
Enrique did not immediately deliver the Champions League. His first European campaign ended in the semi-finals in 2024, when PSG were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund. Instead of discouraging the Spanish coach, that defeat appeared to reinforce the need for further development.
A year later, PSG finally conquered Europe. Their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the 2025 final delivered the club’s first Champions League trophy. They then demonstrated that their success was not a one-off by defeating Arsenal in the following final, surviving a penalty shootout after neither side could find a winner during 120 minutes.
The remarkable progress under Enrique is also reflected in the club’s decision to extend his contract until 2030. PSG have simultaneously secured several key players on long-term deals, signalling their intention to maintain the core of a squad that has reached the summit of European football.
Yet PSG begin their title defence with an unusually difficult domestic situation. The reigning European champions have failed to win any of their opening three Ligue 1 matches. They drew against Rennes and Lille before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Monaco, leaving them with just two points from their first three games. It is their worst start to a Ligue 1 campaign in 19 years.
That poor start does not necessarily represent a crisis. Enrique has remained confident in his team, arguing that PSG have generally performed well and that the results have not accurately reflected their displays. The club have also shown considerable faith in the manager by extending his contract.
Still, the contrast is striking. PSG enter the Champions League as defending champions while simultaneously searching for stability in their domestic campaign.
The pressure will be immense because every opponent now has an additional incentive: stopping a team that has already won the competition twice consecutively. The challenge is not simply to win the Champions League again. PSG must maintain their hunger after reaching the summit twice in succession.
For Marquinhos and his teammates, the target is clear: a third European crown in three seasons. Their opening Ligue 1 results provide a reminder that even the reigning champions are not immune to difficult periods, but PSG have already proved they can respond when the stakes are highest.
The question now is whether Enrique’s side can make history and complete an extraordinary Champions League hat-trick. After two consecutive European titles, PSG are no longer chasing history. They are trying to make it.
