A major broadcasting decision for the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain has been made
15:35, 18 May 2026Updated 15:55, 18 May 2026
Arsenal will not be able to watch the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain without a TNT Sports or Discovery+ subscription
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Arsenal will not be able to watch the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain without a TNT Sports or Discovery+ subscription(Image: (Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))
The Champions League final, set to be contested by Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, will not be free-to-air for the first time in over three decades. TNT Sports, who are the rights holders for all European football, are understood to have angered UEFA over the decision to charge fans to watch all three finals.
According to The Guardian, the decision has caused some angst at UEFA, with one source stating that the “best endeavours” should have been made to make all three finals available for all fans.
That has been the case for the last 34 years with TNT Sports/BT Sports more recently streaming the final live on YouTube. ITV had the exclusive rights prior to that with Sky Sports taking on joint-rights until 2015.
TNT Sports has recently been rebranded to HBO Max, with the cheapest subscription for the final at £4.99. TNT Sports meanwhile would cost £31.99 a month on most platforms.
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Either side of the Gunners' showpiece in Budapest, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will contest their own European finals. The latter face Rayo Vallecano next week for the Conference League while Unai Emery's side meet Freiburg for the Europa League this Wednesday.
Prior to their European final, Palace face Arsenal on the Premier League's final day, with it possible the title is on the line.
Interestingly, Manchester City are due to meet Villa at Etihad Stadium just days after their huge match in Istanbul. However, it may not come down to the final day with Pep Guardiola's side requiring maximum points against Bournemouth on Tuesday, assuming Arsenal beat Burnley 24 hours earlier.
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Though the Premier League is the immediate priority, it would be difficult to not have one eye on the Champions League from an Arsenal perspective.
If that was the case for some, it would have likely been noticed that Ousmane Dembele was forced off with an injury during PSG's Ligue 1 defeat to Paris FC on Sunday.
Speaking on the Frenchman after the game, Luis Enrique said: "I have nothing to say about Ousmane, we'll have to wait until tomorrow. I think it's just fatigue.
"What we can talk about today is just speculation. But I don't think it's very serious, we'll know more tomorrow."
Ousmane Dembele walks down the tunnel
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Ousmane Dembele suffered a PSG injury scare on Sunday
Mikel Arteta is also likely to have one eye on injuries with Ben White, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber currently unavailable.
The latter duo are the most likely stars to return this season and while Merino has an outside chance, White has already been ruled out.
That could leave Arsenal with a problem at right-back but Arteta appears hopeful that Timber could yet feature before May ends.
Speaking on the Dutchman earlier this month, he said: "He's progressed a bit in the last few days... We're going to try to get him fit and available as quick as possible. Let's see.
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"Obviously, he's been out a while, unfortunately. He's such an important player for us, and he's doing everything that he possibly can to help the team in any capacity."