Champions
Premier League Glory
How a repeatable 2-3-5 possession shape, a dominant centre-back pairing and set-piece precision produced a thirty-eight-round title campaign.
Read the title dossier2025–26 Season Intelligence
An analytics-led chronicle of Arsenal's 2025–26 campaign: a Premier League title built on control and defensive authority, and a Champions League run that ended 1–1 against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest before a 4–3 shootout decided the crown.
UCL Final · BudapestARS 1–1 PSG3–4 pens · Havertz 6'
Interactive · Tunnel shot
Click or tap the football to fire it into the net, just like Havertz in the sixth minute in Budapest.
Season in numbers
Five dossiers
Each dossier is presented as a live scoreboard: the headline metric first, the tactical story underneath.
Champions
How a repeatable 2-3-5 possession shape, a dominant centre-back pairing and set-piece precision produced a thirty-eight-round title campaign.
Read the title dossierBudapest
From the 36-team league phase to the final on 30 May 2026: the stage-by-stage breakdown of Arsenal's European journey.
Trace the European route8 profiles
Expandable profiles of Havertz, Saka, Ødegaard, Rice, Saliba, Gabriel, Raya and Trossard, plus the structures that connected them.
Open the player profiles1–1 · 3–4p
Havertz's sixth-minute strike, PSG's response, 120 minutes of tension and the penalty shootout that broke Arsenal hearts.
Review the finalNext era
Where Mikel Arteta's project goes after a domestic title and a European final, and what it will take to go one step further.
Explore the futureSeason journey
Scroll to follow the campaign: the progress rail fills as the season unfolds.
Arsenal begin the Premier League season with a defensive structure that concedes few clear chances, establishing the control-first identity that would define the year.
The new 36-team Champions League format demands consistency across eight different opponents. Arsenal's rotation policy keeps league form intact.
Set pieces and rest defence win tight matches during the busiest part of the calendar, as Saliba and Gabriel anchor the league's most stubborn back line.
A top-eight league-phase finish sends Arsenal straight into the round of 16, sparing the squad an extra two-legged play-off in February.
Round of 16 and quarter-final ties are managed across two legs, with Ødegaard dictating tempo and Rice covering ground in both boxes.
A year after falling at the semi-final stage, Arsenal clear the threshold and book a place in the Budapest final.
The Premier League title is confirmed: the reward for a season in which Arsenal's worst performances were still good enough to take points.
Title securedHavertz scores in the sixth minute, PSG equalise, and after 120 minutes at 1–1 a 4–3 shootout hands the trophy to Paris Saint-Germain.
1–1 · 3–4 pensFinal scoreboard
Arsenal struck first through Kai Havertz after six minutes and controlled long spells of the opening half. PSG found an equaliser after the break, extra time could not separate the sides, and the shootout went 4–3 to the Parisians.
Full match analysisThe analyst's lens
Pillar 01
A stable 2-3-5 attacking shape gave every player a predictable reference point, allowing quick circulation and patient recycling through David Raya.
Pillar 02
Saliba's recovery speed and Gabriel's aerial dominance allowed a high line, while Rice screened transitions before they became dangerous.
Pillar 03
Corners and wide free kicks were treated as a primary attacking phase, turning tight contests with rehearsed routines and precise delivery.
Editorial note: ratings and model figures across this site are Mediarostermatesmi analytical estimates, not official competition statistics. For official records visit premierleague.com and uefa.com.
Coaches, analysts and supporters send us questions every week. The best become deep-dive features.