Twenty years is a long time in football. The last time Arsenal walked out in a Champions League final, Thierry Henry was still in the squad and Jose Antonio Reyes was a live fixture in Arsene Wenger's plans. That was Paris, 2006, and Barcelona beat them 2-1 after going down to ten men. Two decades on, Mikel Arteta's side have finally made it back — and this time, the stage is Budapest's Puskás Aréna on May 30, with Paris Saint-Germain waiting on the other side.
Bukayo Saka's goal just before the hour mark at the Emirates was the moment that settled the semifinal against Atletico Madrid. The first leg in Madrid had ended 1-1, which meant Arsenal needed something to go right at home, and Saka delivered it — a composed finish that sent the crowd into scenes not witnessed at that ground for a very long time. Atletico threw everything at Arsenal in the final half hour, but the backline held, and when the full-time whistle went, the realisation hit like a wave. They are actually going to a Champions League final.
How PSG got past Bayern
The other semifinal was something else entirely. PSG's first leg against Bayern at the Parc des Princes produced one of the most chaotic Champions League matches in recent memory — a 5-4 win for the home side that had everything: early goals, a Bayern comeback, a Bradley Barcola strike in the 89th minute to settle it. The second leg at the Allianz Arena was far less eventful, Ousmane Dembele scoring to give PSG a 1-1 draw on the night and a 6-5 aggregate win. Luis Enrique's side, built from the rubble of their superstar-era failures, reached the final on sheer collective effort — no one player dominating, just a team that now genuinely believes in what it is doing.
What makes this final interesting is that neither side is the obvious favourite. Arsenal have been the best team in England this season — five points clear in the Premier League with three games to play — but European finals have a habit of levelling things. PSG have the big-game experience, the mental edge, and Dembele in the form of his life. Arsenal have Saka, a front four that runs all day, and a defensive structure that has conceded very little throughout the whole tournament.
What Arteta said after the semifinal
Arteta was careful not to oversell the moment after the final whistle, which is probably the right call. He talked about process, preparation, the team's work ethic. What he did not hide was the emotion of it — you could see it in his face before he had said a single word. This is a club that has spent years being told its Champions League dreams were premature, its squad not quite ready. Now they have a week off, a Premier League title potentially to collect, and a European final to prepare for. Not a bad fortnight to be an Arsenal fan.
The Budapest final
The final takes place at the Puskás Aréna on May 30. Both sides have ten days to prepare after their domestic seasons wrap up — Arsenal on May 24, PSG slightly earlier. The neutral bracket is roughly 50-50 on who wins this, which tells you everything about the genuine uncertainty going into it. Arsenal have not won a major European trophy since the Fairs Cup in 1970. PSG's wait for continental glory has stretched even longer in terms of emotional intensity. Someone's drought ends in Budapest. For Arsenal fans, after twenty years, the thought alone feels unreal.
Match facts: Arsenal 1-0 Atletico Madrid (agg 2-1, semifinal second leg, Emirates Stadium, May 5). PSG 1-1 Bayern Munich (agg 6-5, semifinal second leg, Allianz Arena, May 6). Champions League final: PSG vs Arsenal, Puskás Aréna, Budapest — Saturday, May 30, 2026.
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