Champions League final record of English clubs ahead of Arsenal vs. PSG showpiece showdown

On Saturday afternoon, the attention of the footballing world will be captured by the Puskas Arena in Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal lock horns for the Champions League final.

The Budapest battle will afford Les Parisiens the opportunity to defend their European crown after last season's smashing success over Inter Milan in Munich, whilst the Gunners are looking to lift the famous trophy for the first time.

Following their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal return to the Champions League final after a 20-year absence, hoping to avoid the heartbreak suffered by Arsene Wenger's men in 2006.

Here, Sports Mole looks at the record of English clubs in the final of the European Cup/Champions League since its inception in 1955.

Interactive table: English clubs' records in European Cup/Champions League finals

English clubs in European Cup & Champions League finals

1956–present • European Cup / UEFA Champions League

24 finals

All Arsenal Aston Villa Chelsea Leeds United Liverpool Man City Man Utd Nott’m Forest Tottenham

All Winners Runners-up

History of English clubs in the European Cup and UEFA Champions League final, from 1967-68 to 2025-26, including season, winner, score, runner-up and venue
Season	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Venue
1967–68	Manchester UnitedW	4–1†	Benfica	Wembley, London
1974–75	Bayern Munich	2–0	Leeds UnitedRU	Paris
1976–77	LiverpoolW	3–1	Borussia M’gladbach	Rome
1977–78	LiverpoolW	1–0	Club Brugge	Wembley, London
1978–79	Nottingham ForestW	1–0	Malmö FF	Munich
1979–80	Nottingham ForestW	1–0	Hamburger SV	Madrid
1980–81	LiverpoolW	1–0	Real Madrid	Paris
1981–82	Aston VillaW	1–0	Bayern Munich	Rotterdam
1983–84	LiverpoolW	1–1*	Roma	Rome
1984–85	Juventus	1–0	LiverpoolRU	Brussels
1998–99	Manchester UnitedW	2–1	Bayern Munich	Barcelona
2004–05	LiverpoolW	3–3*	Milan	Istanbul
2005–06	Barcelona	2–1	ArsenalRU	Paris
2006–07	Milan	2–1	LiverpoolRU	Athens
2007–08	Manchester UnitedW	1–1*	ChelseaRU	Moscow
2008–09	Barcelona	2–0	Manchester UnitedRU	Rome
2010–11	Barcelona	3–1	Manchester UnitedRU	Wembley, London
2011–12	ChelseaW	1–1*	Bayern Munich	Munich
2017–18	Real Madrid	3–1	LiverpoolRU	Kyiv
2018–19	LiverpoolW	2–0	Tottenham HotspurRU	Madrid
2020–21	ChelseaW	1–0	Manchester CityRU	Porto
2021–22	Real Madrid	1–0	LiverpoolRU	Paris
2022–23	Manchester CityW	1–0	Inter Milan	Istanbul
2025–26	Paris Saint-Germain	v	ArsenalUpcoming	Budapest

† After extra time • * Won on penalties (score shown is after extra time)

Record of English clubs in European Cup/Champions League finals

Finals played: 23

Wins: 15

Losses: 8

Overall, English clubs have a positive collective record in the final of the European Cup/Champions League, winning on 15 occasions, compared to just eight losses across 23 matches.

A team from the home of football failed to make the showpiece match for the opening 13 years of the competition before Manchester United smashed Benfica 4-1 in London at the conclusion of the 1967-68 edition.

That late 1960s event is one of three Champions League finals featuring English sides held at Wembley Stadium, where in 2011 Pep Guardiola's Barcelona beat Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd 3-1 in the most recent example.

England enjoyed an early dominance of winner-takes-all clashes in the European Cup, victorious in eight of the first nine finals that they contested from 1968 up until Liverpool's beating of Roma in 1984.

There have been three all-English ties in the Champions League final, with the most recent of those arriving in Porto during the 2020-21 season, when Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea outwitted Man City to the continental trophy.

The Citizens' local rivals hold the record for the most goals netted by an English side in the top European final, with Man Utd hitting Benfica for four in 1968, when Sir Bobby Charlton bagged a brace.

English teams have won three of the past four finals that they have been involved in, with Liverpool (2019), Chelsea (2021) and Man City (2023) all keeping clean sheets on their concluding steps to continental glory.

Saturday's final in Budapest will be the first contested between an English and French side, with Arsenal having played the most games in the Champions League without winning the competition.