Paris Saint-Germain FC are the most successful French club in international competitions. They have won six European titles: the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001, the UEFA Champions League in 2025 and 2026, and the UEFA Super Cup in 2025 and 2026. They also won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in 2025. PSG are the only French side to have won the Cup Winners' Cup and the first to win the continental treble and the Super Cup. They were runners-up in the 1996 UEFA Super Cup, the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League, and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The Parisians made their international debut in the 1982–83 season, qualifying for the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup as Coupe de France winners. Their first match was against Lokomotiv Sofia and reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by Waterschei Thor. PSG subsequently competed in the UEFA Europa League in the 1984–85 campaign, before taking their first steps in Europe's premier club competition, the Champions League, in the 1986–87 season.
Between 1992 and 1997, the club reached five consecutive semi-finals: three in the Cup Winners' Cup, one in the Champions League, and one in the Europa League. They won their first European trophy by defeating Rapid Wien in the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final. This victory allowed PSG to compete in the UEFA Super Cup, where they lost to Juventus. They reached a second consecutive Cup Winners' Cup final in 1997, this time losing to Barcelona. PSG played in the now-defunct Intertoto Cup once. They did so in 2001, winning their second continental trophy against Brescia on away goals in the two-legged final.
PSG reached their first UEFA Champions League final in 2020, where they were defeated by Bayern Munich, marking their first European final appearance since 2001. The club went on to win their first Champions League title in 2025, defeating Inter Milan in the final. As reigning European champions, Paris competed in the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. They finished runners-up in the Club World Cup, losing the final to Chelsea, but secured victories in both the Super Cup, defeating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties, and the Intercontinental Cup, also winning on penalties against Flamengo. PSG won a second consecutive Champions League title in 2026, defeating Arsenal in the final on penalties.
History
Early days in Europe
Paris Saint-Germain won their first major title, the Coupe de France, in 1982. This success opened the doors to Europe for PSG for the first time in their history, securing a place in the 1982–83 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. PSG were the first Parisian club to play in Europe since the 1960s, when Racing Paris and Stade Français participated in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Expectations were enormous, and PSG strengthened their squad with Kees Kist, Osvaldo Ardiles and Yugoslavian magician Safet Sušić, who remains to this day one of the greatest players in the club's history. They joined an already well-rounded squad, featuring experienced players Dominique Bathenay, Dominique Rocheteau, Mustapha Dahleb and Nambatingue Toko, as well as promising young academy products Luis Fernandez, Jean-Claude Lemoult and Jean-Marc Pilorget.
The Parisians made their European debut against Lokomotiv Sofia in Bulgaria. Without playmaker Dahleb, they were fortunate to suffer a narrow 1–0 defeat. At the Parc des Princes, Toko scored the club's first goal in European competition, but PSG were on the brink of elimination when Lokomotiv equalized shortly after halftime. They now needed two more goals. Bathenay quickly restored the lead to a PSG side that had to wait until the final ten minutes to seal their thrilling qualification for the round of 16. Toko capitalized on a cross from Pascal Zaremba to score a superb half-volley before Michel N'Gom and Lemoult ended any hopes of a comeback for the visitors with a 5–1 scoreline.
After a comfortable victory over Swansea City, a record 49,575 fans packed the Parc des Princes for their quarter-final clash with Waterschei. PSG's 2–0 victory was well-earned, thanks to Fernandez's outstanding performance and opening goal. They could have scored more and would later regret it, losing the return leg 3–0 in extra time. PSG qualified for the 1983–84 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup after successfully defending their Coupe de France title. Their first-round opponent were Glentoran, whom they beat 4–2 on aggregate to set up a tie against Michel Platini's Juventus. PSG held their own, drawing both legs but bowing out due to the away goals rule against the eventual champions. They came very close to eliminating Juve in the second leg in Turin: a Sušić free kick hit the post and Pilorget missed a clear chance just before the final whistle.
The club's subsequent European adventures would be less glorious. After sweeping Heart of Midlothian on their UEFA Europa League debut in 1984–85, surprise finalists Videoton stunned them in the second round. A 4–2 defeat at the Parc des Princes was followed by a return leg in which the Hungarians won twice. With the home side leading 2–0, the match was called off due to dense fog. Paris had a second chance, but even a replay couldn't save them, and Videoton triumphed 1–0 again. PSG's UEFA Champions League debut was also poor. The French champions fell at the first hurdle to underdogs Vítkovice in 1986–87. PSG's performance in the 1989–90 UEFA Europa League was a mixed bag. They narrowly defeated Kuusysi in the first round, but fell just one goal short of eliminating eventual champions Juventus in the second round.
Canal+ takeover and semi-final curse
Canal+ bought PSG in 1991, completely changing the team's fortunes. They hired Champions League-winning manager Artur Jorge and brought in star players like Raí, Valdo, George Weah, Bernard Lama, Vincent Guérin and David Ginola. PSG's climb to European prominence started in the 1992–93 UEFA Europa League, where they fought their way to the quarter-finals against PAOK, Napoli and Anderlecht, before facing Real Madrid.
PSG lost 3–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in the first leg, but staged their biggest ever comeback at the Parc des Princes. Leading 3–0 lead going into injury time thanks to goals from Weah, Ginola and Valdo, Real Madrid pulled one back and forced extra time. Immediately afterward, Paris were awarded a dangerous free kick, and Valdo's 96th-minute cross was met by a header from Antoine Kombouaré, who put his team through to their first semi-final. This goal earned Kombouaré legendary status among fans and the nickname "Golden Helmet." PSG's quarter-final victory over Real Madrid is considered one of the greatest knockout ties in the competition's history. Their dream run ended against eventual champions Juventus. Weah put Paris ahead, but Roberto Baggio's hat-trick secured a 3–1 aggregate win for Juve.
History would repeat itself in the 1993–94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. PSG defeated Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, becoming the only French team to win at the Bernabéu with a Weah goal, but they fell just short of the final once again. After drawing 1–1 at home to Arsenal, the Parisians needed to score in London, but surprisingly, Artur Jorge left Weah in the stands, where he watched his team lose 1–0. In Jorge's place, the club welcomed Luis Fernandez, who guided PSG to one of their best ever campaigns.
Drawn into a lethal Group B alongside Bayern Munich, Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv, PSG became one of only seven teams to win all six of their group stage matches. Of note was their 1–0 away victory against Bayern, in which Weah dribbled past three defenders before slotting the ball into the top corner of Oliver Kahn's net. PSG then eliminated Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" to reach their first Champions League semi-final. They pulled off a memorable comeback: Raí and Guérin overturned Barcelona's opener to advance 3–2 on aggregate. However, luck failed them against AC Milan. In the first leg, played at the Parc des Princes, the Rossoneri scored the winning goal in the dying minutes, after Ginola's shot hit the crossbar. AC Milan had no problems in the return leg and secured a 2–0 victory, burying PSG's European dream.
First European title: the Cup Winners' Cup
PSG began the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the round of 32 against Molde. Despite a difficult match against the Norwegians, Paris won 3–2 in the first leg and comfortably won the second leg 3–0 thanks to a brace from Pascal Nouma. PSG then faced Celtic in the round of 16. Youri Djorkaeff, who had already scored in the first two matches, gave the Parisians a 1–0 victory in the first leg. In the second leg, the result was clear: 3–0 for Luis Fernández's team, who reached the quarter-finals of the competition.
Their quarter-final opponents were tournament favorites Parma. The Italians won 1–0 in the first leg, PSG's only defeat in the competition. But Paris were undeterred. Two penalties from Raí and another goal from Patrice Loko gave PSG a 3–1 victory over Parma in front of a packed Parc des Princes, reaching their fourth consecutive European semi-final. Deportivo de La Coruña, another contender for the top prize, were waiting on the doorsteps of the final. The first leg was hard-fought, and Djorkaeff, coming on as a substitute, opened the scoring in the 89th minute. PSG repeated the feat in Paris with a solitary goal from Loko. The semi-final curse had been broken, and PSG's first European final was a reality. Austrian club Rapid Wien were the opponent in the decisive match. They were the revelation of the season, eliminating teams such as Sporting CP, Dynamo Moscow and Feyenoord.
Things did not start off in the best possible way for PSG, with star player Raí coming off injured in the 12th minute, but that did not stop Fernandez's men from being the most enterprising at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. With Djorkaeff pulling the strings, Paris created chance after chance until the only goal of the match arrived on the half-hour mark. He touched a free kick to his right and Bruno Ngotty fired a low, powerful shot from thirty yards out. The ball deflected slightly off a defender, deceiving the Rapid goalkeeper before crashing into the net. PSG failed to double their lead despite numerous chances, but were very solid defensively and held on to become the second French club to win a major European competition, after arch-rivals Marseille's triumph in the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League. Three years later, UEFA abolished the Cup Winners' Cup, leaving PSG as the only French side to win the tournament.
Super Cup and Cup Winners' Cup runners-up
With Ricardo replacing Fernandez as manager, Cup Winners' Cup champions PSG faced Champions League winners Juventus in the 1996 UEFA Super Cup. The Bianconeri proved too strong and sealed the first leg with a 6–1 victory at the Parc des Princes. Juve also prevailed in Italy to cap off a terrible 9–2 aggregate defeat to PSG. The Parisians recovered and reached the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final four months later. They lost 4–2 to Galatasaray in Istanbul, but came from behind with a 4–0 win in the French capital to reach the quarter-finals. After a goalless draw at home to AEK Athens, a Patrice Loko hat-trick gave them a 3–0 victory in Greece. PSG then crushed Liverpool in Paris, taking a 3–0 lead in the first leg that seemed to have secured their place in the final. However, Liverpool came incredibly close to coming back in their 2–0 win at Anfield.