Arsenal's route to the 2025-26 Champions League final ahead of PSG Budapest battle

Arsenal's domestic and European double mission is 50% complete, and the Gunners aim to add the missing piece of the puzzle when they lock horns with Paris Saint-Germain in Saturday's colossal Champions League final at the Puskas Arena.

Now that the Premier League title celebrations have died down, it is all systems go for Budapest for Mikel Arteta's men, who could join Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool as the fourth English team to win both the top flight and European Cup in a single season.

The path to Hungary has been easy for Arsenal in the eyes of many rival supporters, but in spite of the Gunners' historic unbeaten Champions League record, their continental campaign has not been without its hiccups.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Arsenal's route to the Champions League final.

Arsenal's route to the 2025-26 Champions League final: League phase perfection

No team's performance in a match, a competition or a season can ever be described as totally flawless, but Arsenal were perfect in the league phase as far as points totals go, taking 24 from a possible 24.

Athletic Bilbao, Olympiacos, Atletico Madrid and Slavia Prague all fell to the Gunners' superiority without scoring, before Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl ended Arsenal's 100% defensive record in the Champions League on matchday five.

However, Arteta's men still secured belated Bavarian revenge by beating the Bundesliga holders 3-1, before also putting a trio of strikes past Club Brugge and 2024-25 finalists Inter Milan, turning San Siro into their playground once again.

The less said about Arsenal's display against Kairat Almaty on the final matchday the better, but a 3-2 win sealed the Gunners' first-placed ranking, as they became the first team to ever earn eight victories from eight in the league phase.

Arsenal's route to the 2025-26 Champions League final: Bayer Leverkusen beating

Avoiding the heavyweight side of the draw courtesy of their league phase gold medal, Arsenal were paired with Bayer Leverkusen for the last 16 and were given their toughest European examination yet at the BayArena.

Robert Andrich beat the Gunners at their own game with a goal from a corner in the 46th minute, but Arsenal were inevitably saved by a dead-ball situation of their own in the dying embers.

Awarded a late penalty when Malik Tillman felled Noni Madueke, Arsenal entrusted erstwhile Leverkusen youngster Kai Havertz with the responsibility, and the German duly obliged to salvage a 1-1 first-leg draw.

Holding the upper hand on home soil, Arsenal led for the first time in the tie when Eberechi Eze channelled his inner Zinedine Zidane and blasted home a ferocious volley, before Declan Rice destroyed any Leverkusen hopes of a comeback.

Arsenal's route to the 2025-26 Champions League final: Sporting Lisbon success

Crossing paths with a team they thrashed 5-1 last season before poaching their star player, Arsenal had to be wary of a vengeful Sporting Lisbon side, one who had ended Bodo/Glimt's dream run in the previous knockout phase.

In the first leg, Arteta's men could not replicate their swashbuckling attacking display at the Estadio Jose Alvalade from 2024-25, but the super subs did just about enough.

Late Champions League lightning struck twice for hero Havertz, who latched onto a delightful cross from Gabriel Martinelli and poked home the only goal of an otherwise forgettable opening fixture.

Arsenal and Sporting's second leg was also best consigned to the back pages of history, but the Gunners simply needed to draw, and the Gunners simply needed to not concede - both aims were achieved.

Arsenal's route to the 2025-26 Champions League final: Atletico Madrid memories

Arsenal's four-goal battering of Atletico in the UCL league phase was a false dawn for their semi-final showdown, which Los Rojiblancos earned thanks to their surprise elimination of La Liga rivals Barcelona in the last eight.

Neutral and rival supporters anticipated an unwatchable battle - in comparison to PSG vs. Bayern - between two defensive-minded managers, and a low-scoring first-leg draw, where both goals were penalties from Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez, was perhaps an inevitable outcome.

The 12-yard drama did not end there, though, as referee Danny Makkelie initially awarded Arsenal another spot kick when Eberechi Eze went down under pressure from David Hancko, only to overturn his decision under immense pressure from Diego Simeone, his coaching staff and players, and 60,000-odd Atletico supporters.

However, the Emirates faithful made their voices heard and then some in the return fixture, where Bukayo Saka was in the right place at the right time to seal a 1-0 Arsenal win and end their 20-year Champions League final exile.