Winners and losers of the 2025–26 European season

The European club season ended with Paris Saint-Germain beating Arsenal on penalties to retain the Champions League, the first successful defence since Real Madrid nearly a decade earlier. Arsenal’s defeat in Budapest did little to dim a historic year at club level, having won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

Bayern Munich smashed records on their way to another Bundesliga title, Barcelona secured a second straight La Liga crown while Inter wrapped up the Scudetto, and Juventus and AC Milan missed out on Champions League football. Mikel Arteta described his overriding feeling after the final as “pain,” yet he can also claim a transformative season.

After five trophyless campaigns he delivered a long-awaited Premier League title, albeit with a style critics called pragmatic — from time-wasting and set-piece dependence to controversial late-game antics such as the Burnley match where David Raya and Leandro Trossard simulated injuries.

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