Paris Saint-Germain begins the French Football League season on Sunday as the favorite, after winning the title in the past four seasons, but attention will be more focused on the European arena, as it sets its sights on the goal of winning the Champions League for the third time in a row.
With the start of the 2026-2027 season this week, the French League does not hold many possibilities. The championship title appears to be reserved for Saint-Germain, which has dominated the competition since the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments, owned by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, to the French capital in the summer of 2011, having won 11 titles out of a possible 14.
There is no indication yet that this dominance is approaching an end, as the Parisian club retains the best players in France, such as Ousmane Dembélé, Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desiree Doue and others, led by Spanish coach Luis Enrique, who is experiencing the best stages of his career and with the same drive towards achieving victories.
Paris Saint-Germain's trophy cabinet rebounded by receiving the first cups this season, after winning the European Super Cup at the expense of English club Aston Villa (2-1) on Wednesday.
His Brazilian defense leader, Marquinhos, said before the match: “We are thirsty and have desire. Titles are opportunities that must be seized. I want to win more and more, and I think the rest of the players think the same way,” he said, expressing the prevailing mentality within the entire group.
But this closet was quickly closed. While the team had the opportunity to add a second title within four days, Lens surprised them in the Champions Cup by defeating them 1-0, taking advantage of the fighting spirit of the hosts and the noisy atmosphere in the Boulart Stadium, while the capital team lacked effectiveness despite playing more than half the match with a numerical superiority.
This loss reminded us that football is not devoid of surprises, and that even strongly favored teams may falter, although the impact of the result should be mitigated due to the lack of preparedness of some players who participated in the World Cup just a month ago.
“When the season starts, everyone says the league is easy,” Enrique said. Nothing is easy. I don't remember any season that was easy in the French League, at least in the last three years. We only played two official matches this season. “We want to get better.”
The Spanish coach is focusing on “physical, technical and tactical readiness” in order for the team to once again become “accustomed to playing every three days.”
The team is expected to have a busy season again. From the French League to the Champions League, through the French Cup and even the Confederations Cup, the two-time European champion will start all competitions with the ambition of winning them.
There remains a goal that is more frequently on the lips of the players and their coach, which is the Champions League, with the possibility of this team achieving a historic treble that puts it in a greater position in the history of the most prominent European club competition.
Enrique added: “Everyone thinks we can win, but this is just a theory. Now we must prove on the field that we have the required level. In history, it is difficult to find a team that wins consistently. “We are trying to be close to these types of teams.”
To achieve this, the club maintained its basic structure this summer, but made some adjustments to the squad by including former Monaco player Magnes Akliusch, Spanish international striker Ferran Torres from Barcelona, Belgian winger Mika Godts from Ajax Amsterdam, in addition to international full-back Luca Digne from Aston Villa.
On the other hand, Portuguese Gonzalo Ramos left for Milan, Italy, Randall Kolo Moani went to Juventus, and South Korean Lee Kang-in went to Atletico Madrid, Spain. Senegalese Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barkola, who are wanted from Liverpool, may also leave.
Former French international midfielder Patrick Vieira, born in Dakar, has become the new coach of the Senegal national team, succeeding Pape Thiaw, who was dismissed from his position after the 2026 World Cup, according to what the National Football Association announced on Tuesday.
The Senegalese Federation said in a statement on social media: “Mr. Patrick Vieira has been appointed as the new coach of the Senegalese senior national team. The official application date and the next steps for assuming his duties will be announced later. Welcome as a coach in Senegal,” he said, without revealing the duration of the contract.
The 50-year-old, who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Cup with France as a player, will be leading the national team in the 2027 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin next month.
The Senegalese Federation considered that the appointment of the former English Arsenal and Italian Inter star is a “strategic choice” and “represents a new stage in the Senegalese Football Federation’s efforts to establish a high-level technical body, in line with our country’s sporting ambitions.”
The Senegalese Federation abandoned Thiao after being eliminated from the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Belgium (2-3 after overtime).
Senegal lost the opening match to France 1-3, then to Norway 2-3, before achieving a major victory over Iraq 5-0, allowing it to be among the top 8 teams that occupy third place.
In the round of 32, it led Belgium 2-0 until the 86th minute, and was on its way to the eighth final, before meeting 3 goals, the last of which was in the last breath of extra time.
Following the exit from the World Cup, Senegalese fans demanded radical changes in the structure of the national team, as petitions demanding the dismissal of Thiao received widespread support, and reports indicated internal tensions within the ranks of the national team in the wake of the tournament.
Midfielder Pape Guy threatened to stop playing with the national team “as long as this technical staff exists.”
Thiaw (45 years old), who replaced Aliou Cisse in late 2024, led the Senegal national team to the African Cup final at the beginning of the year, which it won at the expense of Morocco, before the title was later withdrawn from it by a decision of the African Confederation due to irregularities that occurred in the chaotic final in Rabat.
The Senegalese national team became Vieira's sixth coaching job after New York City FC, Nice, England's Crystal Palace, Strasbourg, and Italy's Genoa, which he abandoned in early November 2025.
