Just three weeks after the World Cup final, the new European football season gets its first taste of silverware Wednesday when Paris Saint-Germain meet Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg.
The annual meeting between the reigning Champions League and Europa League winners comes amid growing tensions between UEFA and FIFA, with relations between the two governing bodies increasingly strained by the recent conduct of FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The match will also put the spotlight on the officiating, with Somali referee Omar Artan appointed to take charge. Artan was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the tournament began because of vetting concerns.
U.S. officials alleged that Artan had links to terrorist organizations but did not publicly provide evidence to support the claims.
UEFA responded by appointing Artan, who was judged the best referee in Africa last season, to take charge of the Super Cup, a move that was widely celebrated in the football community and regarded by some as a clever political ploy by the European governing body.
The disharmony between UEFA and FIFA has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recently aborted plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.
And so, the referee taking charge of the match is proving to be as interesting as the players involved, as PSG looks to become the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup after Real Madrid did so in 2016 and 2017.
PSG beat Tottenham in a penalty shootout in last year's match.
PSG's players returned to preseason training at different times over the summer, largely depending on how long they played at the World Cup, or not at all in one noteworthy case.
Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who stood out for France with six goals and two assists, returned Monday along with international teammates Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola. They were joined by Spain's World Cup-winning midfielder Fabian Ruiz, whose clinical performance was key to the semifinal victory over France.
Star winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not play at the tournament because Georgia did not qualify and has been back in training for considerably longer. He looks certain to start in his favored position on the left flank, with new signing Maghnes Akliouche possibly on the right wing.
Akliouche's arrival from Monaco could coincide with Barcola's departure, with the fleet-footed winger, who scored three goals at the World Cup, heavily linked with a move to Premier League giant Liverpool.
Coach Luis Enrique's team may also feature former Villa player Lucas Digne.
Villa sold Digne to PSG on Sunday for a reported fee of 10 million euros ($11.6 million), returning the 33-year-old left-back to one of his first clubs.
Digne was among the first signings when PSG began its new era after being bought by Qatari investors QSI.
He was born in the Paris suburbs and joined PSG in 2013 from Lille. He then represented Roma and Barcelona before spending eight years in the Premier League with Everton and Villa, where he played 182 games in total and was one of coach Unai Emery's most consistent players.
There'll be a different look to Villa at the start of its fourth full season under Emery, a former PSG coach.
Departing over the summer were key midfielders Morgan Rogers, who joined Chelsea, and Youri Tielemans, who moved to Manchester United, along with Digne.
Among the new signings are Swiss World Cup star Johan Manzambi and Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes, who joined from relegated Wolverhampton. Manzambi is sidelined by a knee injury.
Villa won the Europa League by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final and will be in the Champions League for the second time under Emery.
Artan, who officiated the African Champions League final in 2025, is the first non-European to take charge of the Super Cup and said the honor comes after a "very tough period."
"A lot of people have sympathy for me because when someone has been working a lot of years and is supposed to do something, and then can't do it, it's very challenging. I really appreciate the support I received throughout the world, though. I'm so grateful," he told UEFA.
Artan said he had been conducting extensive research on PSG and Villa ahead of his first match in Europe.
"The standard in Europe is fantastic and the football they play is very, very good," he said.
