Chelsea’s Fascinating History With PSG Sets Up New Rivalry in Champions League Tie

The two European behemoths are no strangers to one another.

Chelsea and PSG played out a series of memorable matches in the 2010s. | AMA/Corbis/Getty Images

The latest installment in the rivalry between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain will play out on Wednesday when the two sides face off at the Parc des Princes for the first leg of the 2025–26 Champions League round of 16.

Despite playing in two separate countries, these two clubs have a rich history alongside each other, with their battle in this summer’s Club World Cup final refueling a fire which burned fiercely during the 2010s.

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Chelsea’s First Meeting With PSG

These two sides first met in 2004. | Henri Szwarc/Bongarts/Getty Images

PSG were José Mourinho’s first European opponents following his arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2004.

On September 14, 2004, Chelsea made its first trip to the Parc des Princes for the first of two group stage meetings with PSG who, it must be said, were far from the global powerhouses we know today. John Terry opened the scoring, before Didier Drogba netted twice to secure an emphatic 3–0 victory.

Chelsea had already qualified for the next round when PSG arrived at Stamford Bridge in November, so Mourinho opted to rotate his squad. The likes of Carlo Cudicini, Scott Parker and Glen Johnson were given rare opportunities in an uninspiring 0–0 draw.

Little did these two teams know they were witnessing the beginning of one of Europe’s most intriguing feuds.

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The Battles of the 2010s

PSG were in the early stages of their project in 2014. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

It was 10 years before UEFA’s fixture-deciding deities thrust Chelsea and PSG back together. They met in the quarterfinals of the 2013–14 season—their first of three ties over a three-year period.

The key difference here, however, was PSG had done their own ‘Chelsea.’ Money had been spent in a way former Blues owner Roman Abramovich would have been proud to construct a forward line of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani, with Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi in a midfield unit shielded by the excellent Thiago Silva, a future Chelsea favorite, in defense.

PSG roared to a comprehensive 3–1 victory in the first leg, seemingly certain to breeze through to the semifinals, but it was the return fixture at Stamford Bridge where the animosity between these two sides really started to brew.

Andre Schürrle netted in the first half to start an improbable comeback which was capped off in the 86th minute as Demba Ba bundled home from close range to send Mourinho sprinting down the touchline for another of his wild celebrations—Chelsea advanced on away goals.

José Mourinho went racing down the touchline to celebrate. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Matthew Ashton/Corbis/Getty Images

Fate would hand PSG a chance for revenge 12 months later, this time in the round of 16.

Chelsea had sold center back David Luiz to PSG during the summer and came up against their former favorite in an unfamiliar midfield role when they arrived in Paris in February 2015. Branislav Ivanovic headed the Blues ahead against the run of play in the first half before Cavani struck to seal a draw which was undoubtedly harsh on the French giants.

The return leg at Stamford Bridge was a perfect storm of chaos and drama, from which it was PSG who profited from the now-defunct away goals ruling.

Tensions were high as both sets of players regularly crossed the line in terms of physicality—perhaps no surprise when both Ibrahimović and Diego Costa were spearheading their respective teams. The towering Swede ultimately went too far, earning an early red card for a tough challenge on Oscar.

Luiz caught Costa with an unnoticed elbow—VAR would begin its trials in the summer of 2016—and the Chelsea striker was fortunate to avoid red for a tough challenge on Silva. The goals only started coming after the 81st minute, when Gary Cahill appeared to have booked Chelsea’s place in the quarterfinals.

In heartbreaking fashion, it was Luiz who equalized for PSG before the end of regular time, and even Eden Hazard’s extra-time penalty did not deflate the 10-man visitors, who flew through to the next round thanks to Silva’s 114th-minute header.

David Luiz came back to haunt Chelsea. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

By now, this was a rivalry, so when Chelsea and PSG collided in the round of 16 in 2015–16, fans across the globe were eager to tune in.

Mourinho had been sacked just a few months earlier, replaced by the popular Guus Hiddink, who knew his work was cut out for him. Chelsea had to dig in for the first leg but were powerless to avoid a 2–1 defeat. Ibrahimović and Cavani both netted either side of an unlikely Mikel John Obi strike.

The second leg ended with the same scoreline as PSG made light work of a Chelsea side that lost both Hazard and Costa, who had been labeled a “fraud” by PSG’s own social media account in the build-up, to injury and were sitting as low as 10th in the Premier League standings.

It felt like a turning point for PSG, whose entire model had been built on replicating Chelsea’s early, money-driven success under Abramovich. The French side had now officially overtaken their inspiration, the Blues now the students to PSG’s mastery.

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Club World Cup Dominance for Chelsea

The latest meeting between Chelsea and PSG ended in a fight. | Michael Reaves/Getty Images

UEFA ended Chelsea’s misery by sparing them a fourth successive meeting with PSG. Indeed, the two sides would keep their distance until the summer of 2025 when they met in the final of the Club World Cup.

At that point, Chelsea were a good, if inconsistent, unit under Enzo Maresca, while PSG had just sealed the Champions League crown for which they had been so desperately searching. Luis Enrique’s side were the clear favorites, but Chelsea chose to read from a different script.

A perfect game plan from Maresca saw Cole Palmer net twice and set up João Pedro for a third before half-time, creating an insurmountable lead which PSG simply could not overturn.

This match was not without its own controversy. After the final whistle, an on-field brawl broke out when PSG right back Achraf Hakimi and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, now of Manchester City, clashed with Pedro. The Brazilian ended up on the ground as tensions flared, and even Enrique found himself involved as he slapped Chelsea’s new striker.

That is the last memory these two sides have of each other. The old guards from both teams have moved on and the recollection of the rivalry from the 2010s may no longer be as prominent, but make no mistake about it, these two sets of players have already set the stage for a new feud.

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PSG vs. Chelsea: Complete Head-to-Head Record

• Games Played: 9
• PSG Wins: 3
• Chelsea Wins: 3
• Draws: 3

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Top Scorers in PSG vs. Chelsea

Player	Team	Goals Scored
Cole Palmer	Chelsea	2
Didier Drogba	Chelsea	2
Zlatan Ibrahimović	PSG	2
Eden Hazard	Chelsea	2
Edinson Cavani	PSG	2

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