Where do PSG rank among Europe's greatest dynasties?

WHAT HAPPENED
Paris St-Germain begin their Champions League campaign this week with the aim of becoming European champions for a third straight season. The club have started the domestic season slowly, a pattern the BBC notes has recurred, but remain favourites among some observers to complete a treble of continental titles next summer.

Since Qatar Sports Investments took over 15 years ago PSG have dominated French football, and a shift in strategy under president Nasser Al-Khelaifi — “the end of the glitter,” in his words — saw Luis Enrique arrive in 2023 to reshape the squad around younger players and a more coherent playing philosophy. That approach delivered PSG’s first Champions League trophy in 2025, including a 5-0 win over Inter in the final.

KEY CONTEXT
This discussion is framed around success in Europe’s top club competition, which began in 1955; the analysis excludes earlier continental tournaments and pre-1955 claims to supremacy. The piece compares PSG’s recent run with several established European dynasties: Helenio Herrera’s Inter (early 1960s) won back-to-back European Cups without defeat in one campaign; Benfica, under Béla Guttmann and bolstered by Eusebio, took consecutive European titles in the early 1960s amid a later, much-discussed drought; and Bayern Munich, built around Sepp Maier, Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller, captured three straight European Cups in the 1970s.

The story of a supposed Guttmann “curse” on Benfica is described in the source as a fable: the narrative around it exists, but its truth is disputed, and Benfica have not won another European trophy since those early successes.

WHY IT MATTERS
Winning three consecutive European Cups would place PSG in rarefied company and underpin claims that they have evolved from a heavily spend-driven project into a genuine continental dynasty. The club’s tactical and recruitment shift under Enrique — prioritising younger, mouldable talent within a disciplined system — is presented as the decisive factor in converting domestic dominance into European success. Historic examples (Inter, Benfica, Bayern) show how sustained continental runs cement a club’s legacy across eras.

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- PSG’s progress in this season’s Champions League: can they secure a third successive title?
- Whether the early-season sluggishness noted by the BBC persists or is corrected as European fixtures come around.
- The durability of Luis Enrique’s project: will the focus on younger players and coherence continue to deliver at the highest level?

KEY FACTS
- PSG are aiming to become Champions League winners for a third consecutive season.