‘A Game That’s Pending’—Barcelona President Eager to Face Champions League Holders

It’s no secret that Barcelona’s biggest objective heading into the 2025–26 season is to dethrone Paris Saint-Germain as Champions League winners.

Barcelona fell in the Champions League semifinals a season ago in heartbreaking fashion against Inter Milan, who would then go on to suffer a pummeling in the final vs. PSG. President Joan Laporta spoke with CNN recently about the competition and believes the clubs have unfinished business.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t play against them [last season],” Laporta said. “It’s a game that’s pending for the football world. Because I think we were the two teams more competitive and the two teams in better shape in football. We’ll see, I hope we can play against them this season in order to know which team is the best.

“Everybody that likes football, last season said that Barça and Paris Saint-Germain were the teams more in a good shape and offering the best football of the world, but unfortunately we couldn’t play.”

Laporta didn’t venture to say Barcelona are outright better than PSG, recognizing the quality of the deserved Champions League winners.

“Paris Saint-Germain did very well last season,” he put forward. “They won the Champions League, they won the French League and at the same time they offered good football, with a very good coach and very good players, A very good team.”

On the back of a three and a half month unbeaten run to start 2025, many penciled in Barcelona as the favorite to lift the Champions League trophy last season. PSG were on a similar run and a mouthwatering clash in the final looked tantalizingly close, but Hansi Flick’s side couldn’t hold their end of the bargain.

Barcelona are now gearing up to challenge for European glory in Flick’s second season in charge. After conquering the first domestic treble in club history in 2024–25, the target is to end an 11-year Champions League title drought in 2025–26.