PSG vs. Inter 5:0 – „Le Triomphe“ was a commercial spot for Paris and French Ligue 1

PSG vs Inter 5:0 (2:0) in the Champions League Final in Munich on May 31, 2025 – our final match of the week this season was a once-in-a-century game. A brilliantly performing PSG reduced Inter Milan to mere spectators during “Le Triomphe,” as the French football bible L‘Equipe called the most dominant final victory in the Champions League, and showcased the strength of Ligue 1. 

Photos of people desperately searching for Champions League Final tickets in Munich had already appeared online early on May 31, 2025, as fans gathered in the Bavarian capital to get into the spirit for the match.

Anyone lucky enough to secure a ticket for the Munich Arena – with prices reaching up to €10,000 on match day – surely witnessed a historic game.

Which stars and celebrities attended the 2025 Champions League Final?

On the north stand, two iconic figures commented live – without whom Anglo-American pop culture would feel incomplete: England legend David Beckham and Hollywood star Tom Cruise. 

“It’s a great city, a wonderful country,” said Tom Cruise in praise of Munich and Germany (DFB) as host, “I saw David Beckham play in Paris and we’ve known each other for decades.” 

Among the most prominent spectators at the final, according to a witty meme on Instagram, were Bayern figurehead Uli Hoeneß and Champions League winner Franck Ribéry (who won in 2013 with Bayern at Wembley against BVB), who likely didn't enjoy PSG’s dominance, and... the Inter Milan team. 

“We didn't deserve it”

They never really got into the game. “We didn’t deserve it from the start,” said a disappointed Denzel Dumfries afterwards on UEFA TV. “We couldn’t play our game.” 

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez: “Paris made no mistakes and deserved to win.” 

By that measure, PSG delivered a near-perfect game. After 90 minutes, Inter led in none of the relevant statistics. 

Achraf Hakimi, formerly with Borussia Dortmund, opened the scoring festival in Munich with a goal in the 12th minute, becoming the first Moroccan player to lift the trophy. His teammate Willian Pacho, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt, is now the first Ecuadorian to win the Champions League, as did PSG’s winter signing Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia (acquired for €70 million from Napoli), who became the first Georgian player to do so. 

Biggest Champions League Final victories: PSG tops Real and Milan

It was the most one-sided Champions League final since the competition was revamped in 1992, even more so than Juventus vs Real Madrid (1:4) in Cardiff 2017.
Back then, the game was decided after 64 minutes in the Welsh capital. 

In Munich, it happened a minute earlier – with Desiré Doué’s goal to make it 3:0 in the 63rd minute. The young talent scored twice and was deservedly named UEFA’s “Man of the Match.”

“We made history – for the club, for France, for European football,” Doué said afterwards, full of pride.

Indeed. Paris Saint-Germain claimed the title in emphatic style, becoming only the second French club after arch-rival Olympique Marseille in 1993 (who also won the trophy in Munich against a Serie A club, 1:0 vs Milan) to win the Champions League.

With their 5:0, PSG surpassed the record for most goals in a Champions League final, previously held by AC Milan’s 4:0 win over FC Barcelona in 1994 in Athens. Real Madrid had also famously thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 7:3 in the 1960 European Cup final in Glasgow – a four-goal margin too. 

The Qatari-funded club from the French capital, backed since 2011, demonstrated that Ligue 1 – often criticized, and often unfairly – deserves more credit. 

“Ligue 1 only has Paris, the rest is garbage,” football star Cristiano Ronaldo said in January, dismissing the French top flight. 

Football trips Ligue 1: 2025/26 to feature a Paris derby

That’s not true, chérie.

Sure, PSG is in a league of its own in Ligue 1, both sportingly and financially. But newcomers like Stade Brest or OSC Lille – the only French team to reach the Champions League round of 16 directly under the new league-phase format – also impressed this season. 

Plus, Ligue 1 features heated away matches for PSG against “OM” in “Le Classique” and against Olympique Lyon. 

In 2025/26, for the first time since 1990 (Paris Saint-Germain vs Racing), a Paris derby returns to Ligue 1: PSG vs FC Paris. 

You – and we – can already look forward to these matchups in two stadiums that are practically just a long shot apart. 

When does the 2025/26 Champions League league phase start?

The league phase of the Champions League begins on September 16, 2025, with the first matchday and ends on May 30, 2026, with the final in the Puskás Arena in Budapest. From the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, and BVB are directly qualified for the league phase. England’s Premier League will have six clubs for the first time: Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur. 

When does the Ligue 1 2025/26 season start?

The 88th season of France’s top division starts on August 15, 2025, and ends on May 16, 2026. Ligue 1 will take a winter break from December 14, 2025, to January 4, 2026. The 18th and final team to qualify via the promotion playoffs is FC Metz from the Lorraine region near the border.