The second consecutive UEFA Champions League title for Paris Saint-Germain did not captivate audiences to the same extent as their historic victory last year. While the 2025 final against Inter Milan drew a record 11.5 million viewers, the 2026 showdown with Arsenal on M6 attracted just 6.2 million, peaking at 13.5 million during the final whistle.
This decline in viewership can be attributed to a scheduling clash with the third-round match of rising French tennis star Moïse Kouamé at Roland-Garros. The 17-year-old phenom, playing on Suzanne-Lenglen Court, pulled in 3 million viewers at 4:15 PM, just as PSG’s final preparations were underway.
Kouamé, clad in a PSG jersey, joked about the timing after his four-set loss to Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo (6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-7[9-11]). “I caught the penalty shootout—worst timing ever!” he quipped in a post-match press conference. “It’s a small consolation for my loss, but I’m still smiling.”
While PSG’s back-to-back European crowns remain a landmark achievement, the dip in television ratings reflects the challenges of competing with major sporting events. On Canal+, the match drew 2.9 million viewers, over 2 million fewer than last season’s broadcast on the same channel.
