PSG are chasing a third straight Champions League title under Luis Enrique. Can the French giants match Real Madrid and make European football history?
Paris Saint-Germain have already conquered Europe twice under Luis Enrique, but the French champions now face an even bigger challenge: becoming only the second club in the modern Champions League era to win the trophy three years in a row.
PSG have spent years trying to establish themselves among European football’s elite.
Now, after finally winning the Champions League twice, they have an opportunity to achieve something that would put them in a completely different category.
🚨 Double-reigning UCL champions PSG release their OFFICIAL portraits! 🔥 #PSG
🤔 Could they complete a three-peat? 👇 pic.twitter.com/db2SxXVFL1
— That’s Football! (@ThatsFootballTV) September 7, 2026
A third consecutive Champions League title is the prize.
PSG lifted their first European crown in 2025 after dismantling Inter Milan 5-0 in the final. Twelve months later, they overcame Arsenal on penalties in Budapest to retain the trophy and become only the second team since the modern Champions League began in 1992 to win the competition in successive seasons.
Only Real Madrid have managed the feat in the Champions League era, winning three straight titles between 2016 and 2018 under Zinedine Zidane. PSG now have the chance to match that achievement.
“Doing the treble is the objective, but we know it’s going to be very difficult and that there will be obstacles in our way,” captain Marquinhos admitted before the start of the campaign.
That challenge may be even greater than it appears.
The Three-Peat Is a Different Challenge
Winning the Champions League once is difficult. Winning it twice in succession is exceptional.
Doing it three times would place PSG alongside some of the greatest teams in football history.
Ajax won three consecutive European Cups between 1971 and 1973 under Johan Cruyff, while Bayern Munich achieved the same feat from 1974 to 1976 with Franz Beckenbauer at the heart of their side.
Real Madrid went even further, winning the first five editions of the European Cup between 1956 and 1960.
But the modern game presents a different level of difficulty.
PSG needed 17 matches to win the Champions League in each of the last two campaigns, while the expanded competition has added even more fixtures to an already relentless calendar.
Across the previous two seasons, the Parisians played 121 competitive matches, with only a three-week break separating the 2024/25 campaign from the Club World Cup.
Fatigue could therefore become their greatest opponent.
Luis Enrique Is Still Hungry
If PSG are to complete the treble, much will depend on whether Luis Enrique can keep his squad fresh while maintaining the intensity that has made them so successful. The early signs have not been perfect.
PSG have looked rusty at times at the beginning of the new campaign, something that is understandable given the workload placed on several of their players. Yet their dominance in France gives Enrique an advantage.
🚨 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗭𝗬 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: PSG are currently NOT in Ligue 1’s top 10 after 3 matchdays.
Luis Enrique’s side have had a very tough start, with not a single win in their league so far. pic.twitter.com/0OtLMzlxun
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) September 5, 2026
The Ligue 1 champions can rotate heavily in domestic competition without necessarily sacrificing their title chances, allowing their biggest stars to be managed with Europe in mind. Their Champions League schedule also offers them a relatively gentle opening.
Slovan Bratislava are first up before much tougher assignments arrive, including a trip to Manchester City and a meeting with Barcelona in October.
Those matches could provide the first real indication of whether PSG are capable of defending their crown for a third consecutive season.
PSG Have Changed, But the Ambition Has Not
There has also been significant movement in the squad.
Bradley Barcola has departed for Liverpool, while Goncalo Ramos, Lee Kang-in and Ibrahim Mbaye have also left after playing useful roles last season. PSG have responded by bringing in Maghnes Akliouche and Ferran Torres.
Torres arrives with an especially interesting connection to Enrique, having worked with the PSG boss during his time managing Spain.
“He was like a footballing father for me when I played for him in the national team,” Torres said after completing his move from Barcelona.
🚨🗣️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Ferran Torres: “For me, my move to PSG was a STEP FORWARD in my career.” pic.twitter.com/rtnraRrDVS
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) September 3, 2026
But perhaps the biggest reason for optimism in Paris is the continued presence of Enrique himself.
The 56-year-old has signed a new contract that will keep him at PSG until 2030, signalling that the club’s European project remains firmly in his hands.
“It is the first time I have stayed four years at the same club, and I am more motivated than I was in my first year,” Enrique said. For PSG’s rivals, that may be the most worrying statement of all.
If Enrique’s side can win the trophy again, PSG will not simply be defending their Champions League crown. They will be joining one of football’s most exclusive clubs.
