Lens vs Paris, of course. The Trophée des Champions couldn’t have hoped for a better fixture, with the two best French teams from last season set to battle it out for the season’s first domestic trophy. Having enjoyed a remarkable 2025–2026 season, the Sang & Or caused a sensation by staying in the title race throughout the league campaign. And whilst Paris ultimately had the last word in Ligue 1, the northerners still managed to secure another coveted trophy: the Coupe de France, for the first time in their history.
For their part, Paris Saint-Germain wore down Lens to claim their 14th French league title at the end of a season that saw them secure 24 wins from 34 matches. The capital club is now set to face its nearest rivals for a trophy, just a few days after getting their season off to the perfect start in the UEFA Super Cup. In Austria, Luis Enrique’s men beat Aston Villa 2–1 to claim their first trophy of the summer, setting themselves up perfectly for their upcoming trip to the north.
0 – Paris Saint-Germain have not lost any of their last eight matches against RC Lens in all competitions (seven wins, one draw).
3 – Having scored a goal for Paris in 2024 and 2025, Ousmane Dembélé could become the first player to score in three different editions of the Trophée des Champions.
4 - This will be the fourth final between Lens and Paris, with the capital club having won the previous three: 2–1 in the Coupe de France, then 1–0 in the Trophée des Champions in 1998, and 2–1 in the Coupe de la Ligue in 2008.
14 – In the match against Paris, Thorgan Hazard could once again pull on the Lens shirt, 14 years after his last appearance for the Sang & Or during the 2011–12 season.
In goal for Lens, new manager Dino Toppmöller should be able to count on Robin Risser. Selected for the French national team for the last World Cup, the former Strasbourg goalkeeper made a late return to the northern club’s squad, but he is still expected to take over from Mathieu Gorgelin, who was the first-choice keeper during pre-season. In central defence, the German manager will have to cope with the absences of Samson Baidoo, a mainstay of the Sang & Or’s back line last season, and the experienced Jonathan Gradit, who is still recovering from injury.
However, French Under-21 international Ismaëlo Ganiou is expected to make his return and start against the Parisians. He could be flanked by new signing Maik Nawrocki, who joined from Celtic this summer, and the very young Kyllian Antonio (18). As for Nidal Celik, the Bosnian international could be included in the squad but may not be fit enough to start the match. In the wing-back positions, Saud Abdulhamid has permanently joined the club in the north from AS Roma, and he is likely to be preferred to French international Ruben Aguilar on the right flank. On the opposite side, Matthieu Udol is coming off the best season of his career and is expected to keep his place, whilst Jhoanner Chávez is not yet back to full fitness.
In midfield, however, the Lens coaching staff will have all of their options at their disposal. Whilst Amadou Haidara could make his return to the Sang & Or squad, it is the Andrija Bulatovic/Michaël Cuisance partnership that looks set to start at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The latter, who previously played for Bayern Munich, joined the northern side this summer and already seems to have adapted to his team’s style of play. As for Yacine Titraoui, the Algerian international could come on as a substitute during the match, as could the promising 16-year-old Mezian Mesloub.
As for the attack, it will of course be spearheaded by Florian Thauvin, who is expected to start on the right. On the left, competition is fierce, but Abdallah Sima is the favourite to start. The Senegalese international could be preferred to new signings Thorgan Hazard and Michal Skoras, who are likely to come on as substitutes. The iconic Florian Sotoca could also make an appearance off the bench, whilst uncertainty surrounds Odsonne Édouard’s fitness. The former Parisian hopes to start the match, but it is far from certain, which could then benefit one of his attacking teammates mentioned above.
