Placed in the middle of the first week of January in Kuwait, the Champions Trophy between the two clubs will be contested this Thursday (7 p.m.) in complete anonymity and behind the backs of the French supporters.
The first trophy of the French football season will be awarded this Thursday evening (from 7 p.m.)… in Kuwait. And if you are not a supporter of Paris Saint-Germain or Olympique de Marseille, you had the right not to know it.
For the 14e times over the last 16 editions, the Champions Trophy, which traditionally pits the winner of Ligue 1 against that of the Coupe de France (or, as is the case here, the French champion against his runner-up since PSG won both trophies in 2025), will be relocated to a foreign country.
It will be contested, what’s more, for the third time in a row, in the middle of the first week of January rather than in the heart of summer. A winter period generally devoted to rest after a very busy first part of the season for two clubs which are juggling between the championship and a more extensive Champions League league phase, with eight matches to play.
An anomaly, widespread among some of our neighbors (the Italian and Spanish Super Cups have been played, for example, since 2022 in Saudi Arabia) which benefits everyone, except the two main categories concerned: players and supporters.
A significant jackpot…
Since 2009, therefore, the Professional Football League (LFP) has used this meeting to reach different markets – the meeting was for example played in Montreal in 2009, Libreville (Gabon) in 2013, Beijing in 2014, Tel Aviv in 2021 and 2022 or even Doha in January 2025 – in the name of “international influence of French football”.
With, at stake, a nice jackpot for the League of 3.5 million euros, according to The Team. A significant sum for the LFP, which oversees LFP Media, holder of TV rights for 8 of the 9 championship matches, in a lean period for broadcasters, and therefore the clubs.
For the latter too, the possibility of playing abroad, outside the summer preparation period, generally organized abroad to reach other markets, reinforces their attractiveness outside French borders in the middle of the season.
And what does it matter if the players are already tired and prone to muscle injuries, as has been the case for PSG since the start of the season – two of its stars, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, have been absent for several months since the start of the season. And what does it matter, too, if the French supporters of the two clubs are not there.
…at the risk of alienating the supporters
An observation shared all the way to the OM bench. “The French Super Cup or the Italian Super Cup must be played in the country in question, in front of the club supporters. […] This is not a problem in relation to Kuwait, which will welcome us in the best way, but I am against this idea”declared Roberto De Zerbi, the Marseille coach, at a press conference last week.
Comments which echo the boycott of the main groups of OM supporters, who will not make the trip to Kuwait, while the advantageous prices offered by PSG to its most dedicated fans (800 euros all the same, all inclusive), have not been more successful.
This match will therefore be played in the Jaber-al-Ahmad international stadium (named after the Emir of Kuwait between 1977 and 2006) which can accommodate up to 58,000 spectators, without the historic supporters of the two teams (and with what attendance?).
For a meeting which is already struggling to attract fans of the teams concerned, and with a very relative impact on the course of a season, the publicity will benefit much more the country which organizes it (Kuwait) than the reputation of the competition contested.
At a time when French football is going through a period of turbulence, the authorities are looking for financial windfalls elsewhere, at the risk of trampling on the soul of a trophy which was already somewhat lacking, and of alienating groups of supporters – and even simple fans –. Out of sight, out of mind…
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