Lens hosts PSG in Trophée des Champions as Parisians chase a fifth consecutive title
Racing Club de Lens welcomes Paris Saint-Germain to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Sunday, August 16, with kickoff at 20h45, as the Trophée des Champions returns to France after two editions played abroad.
A trophy returns to France
The Trophée des Champions returns to French soil on Sunday, August 16, after two editions played abroad. Kickoff is set for 20h45 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, with the match broadcast on Ligue 1+. The fixture pits reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain against Coupe de France holders Racing Club de Lens, who also finished as league runners-up last season. The previous edition was played on January 8 in Kuwait, and a draw at the LFP headquarters on June 3 designated Lens as host for this return to France.
PSG in pursuit of another trophy
Paris Saint-Germain arrives on the back of a Supercoupe d'Europe victory on Wednesday, August 12, when goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué secured a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in Salzburg. The club has won the Trophée des Champions 14 times, including the last four editions, and completed a five-trophy campaign in 2025-2026. PSG also retained their Champions League title, beating Arsenal on penalties. Luis Enrique, who called the Supercoupe d'Europe unimportant on Wednesday, struck a different tone about Sunday's trophy.
We will again seek to win this trophy which is important.
He cautioned that the match falls at an unusual point in the season, with players still building fitness less than a month after the end of the 2026 World Cup. Nuno Mendes suffered cramps twenty minutes before the end of the Supercoupe d'Europe, a sign of the squad's physical shortfall.
Lens under new management
Lens begins a new era under German coach Dino Toppmöller, who replaced Pierre Sage after Sage left for Crystal Palace. Toppmöller, formerly at Eintracht Frankfurt until January, oversaw pre-season friendlies against Charleroi (2-2), Crystal Palace (3-0), Villarreal (3-1), and Sunderland (0-2). The club brought in Yacine Titraoui, Michal Skoras, and Franjo Ivanovic, while Malang Sarr, Adrien Thomasson, and Mamadou Sangaré departed.
- Previous Trophée des Champions held in Kuwait
- LFP draw designates Lens as host for the Trophée des Champions
- PSG wins Supercoupe d'Europe 2-1 vs Aston Villa in Salzburg
- PSG announces Ferran Torres signing for €45M until 2031
- Trophée des Champions: Lens vs PSG at Bollaert (20h45)
Luis Enrique praised the opposition, noting Lens's strong season.
We are going to play one of the most difficult matches you can play away, in the championship. Lens had an incredible season and deserved to win the Cup.
Tensions and boycotts
The match carries off-field tension. The Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP) announced a boycott over the allocation of only 2,000 tickets for PSG supporters, arguing the match should have been played on neutral ground. Lens had proposed Bordeaux as a venue, but the idea was not retained, and the Stade de France was unavailable. Relations between the clubs soured in the spring when a league match was postponed from April to May to give PSG more rest between Champions League fixtures against Liverpool. Lens president Joseph Oughourlian and director general Benjamin Parrot opposed the rescheduling in an LFP board meeting, but the match went ahead as rescheduled, with PSG winning 2-0.
New arrival at PSG
PSG announced the signing of Ferran Torres on August 15 for €45 million on a contract until 2031. Torres, who previously played for Manchester City, Barcelona, and Spain, trained with the squad on the morning of the announcement and could feature against Lens. The Ligue 1 season resumes on August 21.
