Arsenal

We asked for your pictures and plans as you get ready for the Champions League final - whether you're out in Budapest or backing Arsenal from elsewhere.

Here are some of your photos and stories so far...

John: Just landed in Budapest on flight from Luton full of good-natured Gooners. My son, meanwhile, who had no confidence that Arsenal would make it this far, booked a holiday in Italy. He flew from London to Brindisi this morning and is currently on a flight from Bari to Budapest. Hopefully we'll meet up in the fanzone sometime this afternoon.

Barry: Will be at the screening in the Emirates with my son and a couple of our friends. Should be a great atmosphere and the celebration will be epic if Arsenal win it.

Tom: Me and my wife will be watching at Bristol Rovers' stadium of all places! Filling the next few hours pacing around my flat and biting my nails (as well as prepping some food for Sunday). Hopefully we get the result we deserve, before early trips up to the capital tomorrow for celebrations! Jealous of those in Budapest but will be cheering just as loud from BS7!

Scarlet Katz Roberts
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

For the past 11days it's been hard to process the enormity of what we've achieved.

I'll never forget the celebrations that first night - the streets where I took the bus to school or walked the dog, painted with unbidden Arsenal joy. But I often found myself feeling a little detached as well. Is this really happening? Is this what winning is?

When that red banner with white text appeared across the Sky Sports broadcast of the Bournemouth v Manchester City game announcing Arsenal as champions, many remarked that it felt like Fifa.

Add to that the strangeness of Martin Odegaard actually lifting the trophy over his head at Selhurst Park on Sunday - though perhaps that was just because David Raya was dressed head to toe in the Arsenal home kit.

There are subtle differences, though. The past week, which happened to be the week before a Champions League final, has been completely nerveless.

What would I have felt if they'd played on a little longer at Vitality Stadium and Manchester City had found something late, like they did against Everton? Would the final day have played out in the same way? Almost certainly not.

For Arsenal, so much of this season has been spent battening down the hatches, both in a football sense and as fans. We've had so much to weather. Perhaps that's why people are enjoying singing The Angel so much at the moment (not me, but I support everyone in doing so). I heard a surprisingly tuneful rendition by Lee Dixon on the radio where he chirped out "whatever the weathaaaa".

I feel like I've sleepwalked to Budapest and a glamorous date with the most prestigious European prize.

Should I feel more nervous? Probably. But, suddenly, trophies - in particular this most elusive accolade - have been transformed into something to gain rather than something we might lose.

We should let the enormity of this occasion breathe, too. History isn't usually kind to newbies in the competition, but we have a 50/50 shot at our best season ever. Process that.

Find more from Scarlet Katz Roberts at the Goal Difference podcast, external

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, an explosive right-footed left winger, is one of football's most dangerous players and Arsenal will need to keep him quiet in Saturday's Champions League final (17:00 BST).

PSG under Luis Enrique are a very fluid side but follow certain rules as outlined in this tactical analysis of the side earlier in the season.

One of these ideas is that they have certain areas of the pitch they look to keep occupied throughout the game, including the two centre-back positions - both flanks and the centre-forward position - but who moves into these positions is less important.

The many rotations of different players into these areas help PSG pull apart the opposition's defensive shape.

Kvaratskhelia naturally finds himself on the left touchline often. From here, his off-the-ball movement stands out.

In PSG's first leg against Bayern, Desire Doue dropped deep from the attacking line - a common movement to which Arsenal will need to be alert.

With Bayern's Dayot Upamecano less than touch-tight, Doue had time on the ball. Kvaratskhelia feinted to run in behind, then dropped short, then looked to run in behind, dropped short again before eventually running in behind.

These movements froze Bayern's full-back and Doue clipped a pass in behind for his team-mate to run on to before he cut inside and scored.

PSG's opening goal in their first-leg tie against Arsenal last season was eerily similar in its build-up too.

Arsenal, like Bayern, ended up in what looked like a 5-2-3 shape, pressing high.

One of the strikers, Dembele this time, dropped deep without being followed by an Arsenal centre-back despite the rest of Arteta's players generally defending in a man-to-man fashion.

Dembele brought the ball up the pitch before finding Kvaratskhelia running in behind on the left wing - who then assisted Dembele directly.

If Arsenal are to nullify PSG, in these situations they will have to commit to an approach.

This could be to stay very tight on the players who drop deep, so as not to give them time to find runners in behind, or they could drop off, letting them have the ball in certain areas but reducing the space in behind their defence.

After going 1-0 down in that first leg last season, Arteta tweaked his side's defensive approach, saying after the game that "we had one issue that we corrected after 15-20 minutes, that turned the game around".

Martin Odegaard's role in the press changed higher up the pitch making it harder for PSG to find their midfielders but the other key difference was the increased pressure and attention William Saliba applied to Dembele. He went man-to-man even when Dembele dropped very deep.

This echoes the sentiment of former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca who, after a 3-0 win against PSG in the Club World Cup, said: "The idea was to go man-to-man. PSG are so good that if you give them time you are going to struggle. You have to press them very intensely."

Read more on the tactics that could win Arsenal the Champions League

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It's finally matchday and Arsenal's date with Champions League destiny.

Whether you're lucky enough to be in Budapest to witness the Gunners try to win the trophy for the first time, or gathering with family and friends in the UK or elsewhere, we want to know where you're watching from and how you're preparing for the showdown with holders Paris St-Germain.

Get in touch with your images and stories here

Scroll down this page to take in all the build-up to Arsenal's Champions League final

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Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

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Arsenal are back in the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years and are on the cusp of a historic double.

After lifting the Premier League title after a 22-year wait last week there had been a suggestion that this match against Paris St-Germain (17:00 BST kick-off) is something of a free hit.

But Mikel Arteta has been quick to shut that talk down saying that their "ambition is bigger than ever" and that they want "the second one" when referring to the Champions League trophy.

Arsenal fans have travelled to Budapest in their thousands such is the magnitude of this match.

The only other time the Gunners have been in the final of the Champions League was when they lost to Barcelona in 2006.

The Arsenal players and Arteta himself look like a pressure has been lifted after securing their first major trophy in six years and they seem to be relishing the feeling of being winners.

Arteta will hope the extra confidence his side feel is enough to get them over the line.

Record goalscorer Thierry Henry who was part of the "invincibles" of 2004 said that this current squad will be remembered as the "unforgettables" if they manage to bring Champions League success to north London for the first time.

Listen to commentary of Saturday's Champions League final on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, with build-up from 15:00

And watch highlights on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 22:20

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

For a campaign which at times has attracted a certain amount of cynicism, be it about style of play or their ability to last the course, Arsenal's players stand on the precipice of sporting immortality.

Should they become the first winners of the Champions League or European Cup in the club's long history, they will effectively eclipse the greatest sides of the Arsene Wenger era. Perhaps the most poignant method of victory for Mikel Arteta's men would be scoring a winning goal from a corner.

Arsenal's expertise from set-pieces and their defensive solidity was the bedrock of a first Premier League title in 22 years, and those key assets may also provide their best hope of dethroning PSG.

The Gunners have scored 64 set-piece goals since the start of 2023-24 – at least nine more than any other team in the top five European leagues.

Arsenal are also the only unbeaten side in this season's Champions League, having trailed for a grand total of 43 minutes (away to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16). They have conceded just six goals in 14 matches.

PSG, though, have headlines of their own to make and Luis Enrique's outfit pose an almost unparalleled threat.

They are aiming to become only the second club in the Champions League era (since 1992-93) to successfully defend their title, a feat only previously achieved by Real Madrid when they won three in a row between 2016 and 2018.

Did you know?

• PSG and Arsenal will be facing each other for the eighth time, with their head-to-head record perfectly balanced at two wins each and three draws. However, the French giants won the two most recent meetings in the 2024-25 semi-finals.

• PSG have prevailed in each of their past five Champions League knockout ties against English clubs. Manchester City were the last English side to eliminate them, in the semi-finals of the 2020-21 tournament.

Image source, Getty Images

Key PSG players - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Vitinha

Kvaratskhelia has been involved in more goals than any other player in the 2025-26 Champions League knockout phase (10), scoring seven times and providing three assists. He is the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive knockout-stage appearances in the same Champions League campaign.

Vitinha has made 227 line-breaking passes in the competition this season – 44 more than any other player. Declan Rice, with 94, has played the most for Arsenal.

Team news

Achraf Hakimi has not featured since the first leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich because of a hamstring injury and he remains a doubt.

Ousmane Dembele also sat out an internal training match between squad players last weekend, but he has said he expects to be "100% fit" for the final.

Arsenal made nine changes for an effective dead rubber against Crystal Palace on Sunday, when Mikel Merino played his first minutes since foot surgery in January.

Jurrien Timber has not played since 14 March, while Ben White is out for the season. Noni Madueke will be assessed for a tight hamstring.

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

When the best teams in England and France go head to head in Saturday's Champions League final (17:00 BST) it will mark a thrilling end to a gruelling season for both clubs.

The showpiece event at Budapest's Puskas Arena will be the 63rd game of the campaign for Arsenal, who were in the hunt for four trophies until early April. It's Paris St-Germain's 56th, not including the seven at last summer's Club World Cup.

Luis Enrique has rested many of his key players for Ligue 1 games this season, a luxury afforded to him by weaker domestic opposition and incredible squad depth built with the enormous financial backing of the club's Qatari owners.

Because of their 11th-place finish in the league phase, PSG have racked up 16 Champions League games to reach the final (winning a two-legged knockout phase play-off against French rivals Monaco), while Arsenal have played 14.

Of those who lined up for the clubs' respective semi-final second legs, Mikel Arteta's starting 11 amassed almost 7,000 extra minutes of playing time in league games this season (6,726 to be precise).

The French giants have won Ligue 1 in 12 of the last 14 seasons, having lifted the trophy just twice before the Qatari government-operated Qatar Sports Investments organisation became the club's sole owner in 2012.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have just ended their 22-year wait to be crowned the champions of England again, meaning the two finalists are level on 14 league titles apiece.

PSG have the numerical advantage in terms of Champions League wins. That could all change on Saturday.

Read the full article here

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"When you get the taste of winning and lifting a trophy you know how nice it feels, so we want to do it again."

That was the rallying cry from Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who was confident his team are "ready" to add to the Premier League title by winning the Champions League.

"It's something special that we can achieve that's not been done before," he told the media in his side's pre-match news conference before Saturday's final against Paris St-Germain.

"We want to make even more history and when you get the taste of winning and lifting a trophy you know how nice it feels, so we want to do it again. It would mean a lot to everyone and we're ready to do it.

"To do it with this group is unbelievable. Special, special feeling. Good vibes and we're ready to go again.

"It's been like that since I was a little kid. I was dreaming of this moment since I was a kid playing with my friends in the park."

Despite becoming the first Arsenal captain to lift the Premier League trophy in 22 years last weekend, Odegaard was keen to emphasise nothing has changed.

"I don't feel like a different person but obviously it was really special," he added.

"For us, it doesn't change a lot other than it is an amazing feeling and achievement. It is the same mindset. We are ready for it and looking forward to playing."

Saturday afternoon. Kick-off approaching. Preparations complete. Crowd filing in. Excitement building.

David Raya fastens his gloves and breathes out.

But this is not the Champions League final. This is Moss Rose, home of National League side Macclesfield Town and a teenage Spanish goalkeeper is embarking on a journey that will lead him to the biggest stage in European football.

In front of fewer than 1,500 spectators, Raya was part of a Southport side beaten 3-0 by Macclesfield in September 2014.

Now aged 30, he is set to become only the third person to make the journey from non-league football to the Champions League final when Arsenal face holders Paris St-Germain on Saturday.

Raya will join Steve Finnan and Chris Smalling in achieving that feat.

Full-back Finnan, who lifted the 2005 title with Liverpool, had earlier played for Welling United in the National League, while centre-back Smalling turned out for Maidstone before going on to be an unused substitute when Manchester United lost the 2011 final to Barcelona.

Even people who have witnessed the journey from a 19-year-old making his first-team breakthrough - after joining Southport on loan from Blackburn Rovers - have struggled to envision Raya's rise.

Paul Carden, Southport's former assistant manager, said: "I don't think anybody could have predicted or scripted it. You wouldn't be 100% surprised but you wouldn't have put a bet on him."

Read the full piece on Raya's ascent here

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

During a wide-ranging interview, Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke has reflected on his relationship with manager Mikel Arteta and how the club picked him.

Giving a manager their first senior job in football is always a risk, but Kroenke says Arteta's character made it clear that he was the right candidate to succeed Unai Emery in December 2019.

"Anybody that gets a chance to be around Mikel, you can buy into what he's selling pretty easily," Kroenke said.

"So I don't want to give myself or my father [Stan Kroenke, founder and chairman of KSE and co-chair of Arsenal] any credit.

"I think Mikel and his staff and our players are the ones that earned those rights to have the patience in those moments by the amount of work and energy they were putting in behind the scenes."

Arteta won the 2020 FA Cup but finished eighth in a league affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant games were played behind closed doors.

"I don't know if I would ever acknowledge it, or Mikel or anybody - there was something about Mikel having a little bit of what I would say 'space' during Covid when there weren't fans around." Kroenke said.

"There were some growing pains that went on during matches, different moments, and obviously we won the FA Cup, but to not have that extra pressure of fans being on top of you at different points in time when we were going through different growth phases was probably something I don't think any of us would acknowledge in the moment.

"But, looking back I think we can say 'maybe that was a little bit of a benefit'."

Read the full article here

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Arsenal's Bukayo Saka says Saturday's Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain will be decided on "moments and a bit of quality" and "which team is better organised".

Much of the build-up to the final has been billed as PSG's free-flowing attack against the Gunners' watertight defensive line, with the competition's highest scorers coming up against its meanest defence in Budapest.

"I think we have had a week to recover and prepare for this game," Saka told Arsenal's pre-match news conference.

"A game like this is not going to be decided in minutes. It is going to be decided on moments and a bit of quality and which team is better organised, I believe.

"I feel like we're a very tight-knit team and we get on with each other very well. We are willing to fight for each other on and off the pitch. Hopefully, tomorrow night that will give us an advantage as well."

Saka has brought the dreams of so many Gunners fans to life in his journey from joining the club as a seven-year-old to being a key part of the side who have already won a Premier League title for the first time in 22 years and who now stand on the verge of European glory.

On his relationship with the fans, he added: "Personally, I know exactly what it means to them. I have been here on this journey loving this club, seeing the ups and seeing the downs. We felt it when we won the Premier League and how much it meant to the supporters.

"We saw loads of videos and I think the parade is going to be the first time we see a mass gathering of all the Arsenal fans.

"We are all excited but at the same time we are trying to stay focused on this game. It is a massive opportunity to do something special. It will probably make the parade more crazy."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Champions League final against Paris St-Germain at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (17:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Arteta confirmed both Jurrien Timber and Noni Madueke are fit to start Saturday's final, while his only confirmed absentee is Ben White.

• On the chance to follow up winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years with Arsenal's first ever Champions League: "Great, the preparation has been really good, really focused, really positive. We are here because we earned the right to be here. In the manner that we have played and performed in the competition and tomorrow on that field we are going to have to earn the right to go and win the trophy."

• Will he use previous defeats by PSG as motivation?: "We certainly use examples and things that we learned from those matches and there is a lot to take from there. But it is true that we have evolved in a different way and they have evolved in a different way. Their scenario is different as well. We took some learnings and things that we have to do better and I am sure that will happen tomorrow."

• Has winning the Premier League lifted the pressure slightly before the Champions League final?: "No, the ambition is bigger, we have one and we want the second one. That is all we have been talking about. There has to be a platform to reach bigger destinations and to aim for more."

• On whether Arsenal are the underdogs: "They are defending the trophy and they are the champions and we are here to take that away from them."

• Arteta was full of praise for PSG boss Luis Enrique, who was a team-mate in his young days at Barcelona: "He was a very special player and then he became my coach. If you look at his journey, what he has done, he has been an inspiration. He has always been a reference since he was a player because he was a very special player. Then, when he became a coach, and if you look at his journey when he left Spain and went abroad and came back, what he has done, in particular what he has done with this PSG club and team, you can see his fingerprints all over it."

• On this being the first Champions League final in 20 years for the club and the importance of seizing the opportunity to win: "I think it is the opportunity to own the moment because, as you said, it is the second time in our history that we are here and we have the opportunity tomorrow to write a new chapter in the history of this football club. In order to do that, we have to play tomorrow with such clarity, a lot of courage and a relentless desire to win. If we have those three aspects, I am sure we are going to be close to winning."

• On the difficulty of picking his team: "It's because I look around and see the joy and desire they all have to play this match. Everyone wants to be a part of the game."

• What it would mean to win the Champions League: "It will mean something new for all of us, we know how tough it is at a club like Arsenal to write new history but that is the aim and why we are all excited and want to make it happen."

Listen to live commentary of the Champions League final on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Got a question about Arsenal? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

One of the big things that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has to decide before the Champions League final is what to do at right-back.

In this team picture in the Champions Festival in Budapest, Ben White is in the starting XI.

However, White is ruled out with a knee ligament injury and Cristhian Mosquera has been playing there in the past couple of weeks.

That is because first-choice full-back Jurrien Timber has had a long-term injury and he has not played for Arsenal since the middle of March.

Arteta also played Martin Zubimendi at right-back in the final league game at Crystal Palace as he attempts to find a solution before Saturday's showdown with Paris St-Germain.

Timber is here with the squad but it's not clear if he will be fit enough to start, even if he is available for Arteta to pick, after being out for so long.

Send us your pics and stories from your trip to Budapest

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Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique expects Saturday's Champions League final against Arsenal to be "a very close call" with neither team favourites to win in Budapest.

Enrique's men are bidding for back-to-back titles, while the Gunners hope to win the competition for the first time.

"I don't think there is a favourite - I am being honest with you," Enrique said. "For us, I think the devil's in the detail.

"It will be a very close call. We have to give it our all for 90 minutes, but also enjoy those 90 minutes."

The former Barcelona boss added that he was "not surprised" Arsenal won the Premier League this season and they were "absolutely" worthy of the title.

"They were the best team in the Premier League - the most consistent," he said. "It wasn't always easy with Manchester City on their tails."

On how his squad have prepared for the final: "If we were to just talk about the training sessions, for me, I'm really looking at managing the rest time.

"For prep, we have spent time analysing an opponent. It is an opponent we know very well. We played against them last year and the year before.

"There are little things we can fine-tune. I think we can tweak our performance up front and down the back as well."

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter in Budapest

I went to the official fan festival to have a look at how the preparations are going for the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal.

The event which is taking place in Heroes Square is full of different things for supporters to do.

One of the busiest attractions at the festival is the stage where supporters can have their picture taken with the Champions League trophy.

It's extremely hot in Budapest but fans from both sides are in good spirits before this massive game.