Having been crowned champions of Europe for the very first time, could Paris Saint-Germain become the champions of the world this summer?
1) Who will Paris Saint-Germain face at the Club World Cup?
Paris Saint-Germain have been drawn into Group B and these are their group stage fixtures:
15 June: vs Atlético Madrid. Rose Bowl, Los Angeles.
19 June: vs Botafogo. Rose Bowl, Los Angeles.
23 June: vs Seattle Sounders. Lumen Field, Seattle.
2) Pre-takeover history
After being founded in 1970, the first 41 years of Paris Saint-Germain's history produced modest success. They won two Division 1 titles and, most-notably, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, defeating Rapid Wien 1-0 in the final in Brussels.
3) Domestic domination under Qatari ownership
This though all changed in 2011 when PSG was taken over by Qatar Sports Investments, with Nasser Al-Khelaïfi having been the club's President ever since. This has seen Les Rouge-et-Bleu completely monopolise French domestic silverware.
Across the last 13 seasons, PSG have won 11 Ligue 1 titles, including each of the last four. On top of this, they've won eight of the last 11 Coupe de France Finals, 11 Trophée des Champions in 12 years as well as six of seven Coupe de la Ligues, prior to that tournament being abolished in 2020. This season in Ligue 1, les Parisiens ended up 19 points clear of runners-up Olympique de Marseille.
4) Realising their Champions League dream
Given their domestic dominance, Champions League glory had always been PSG's holy grail.
In the first 12 seasons of the Qatari era, they suffered five round of 16 exits, four eliminations in the quarter-finals and heartbreak in the semi-finals twice, their sole final appearance coming in 2020, beaten by Bayern Munich at an eerily empty Estádio da Luz at the height of the pandemic.
This season however, it proved to be 13th time lucky. Les Rouge-et-Bleu enjoyed victories over Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal en route to Munich, before putting in the most dominant performance in the history of European Cup Finals. PSG steamrollered Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich; Achraf Hakimi breaking the deadlock and Désiré Doué scoring twice, before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and then Senny Mayulu rubber stamped the trophy later on. Thus, les Parisiens will travel stateside with confidence sky-high, hoping this is just the start of their world dominance.
5) Past Club World Cup expirence
Paris Saint-Germain will make their Club World Cup debut, becoming the first-ever French club to compete at the tournament, or in fact any of its previous incarnations.
6) Paris Saint-Germain players to watch: Ousmane Dembélé
There are countless PSG players who deserve highlighting, but we have to mention the top-scorer.
Ousmane Dembélé's tally of 33 goals in the most he's ever bagged in a single season, eight of which came in the Champions League, while 28 have been scored since 15 December. So, can the Frenchman continue his red hot from stateside this summer?
7) Paris Saint-Germain players to watch: João Neves
Away from the forward line, João Neves is who makes this team tick. After arriving from Benfica for a reported €60 million fee last summer, the 20 year old has made himself an integral part of this PSG side, accumulating over 3,700 minutes, and will be key to their chances of success.
8) Paris Saint-Germain players to watch: Désiré Doué
Meantime, Désiré Doué announced himself to the world in Munich, scoring twice during the demolition of Inter. Just before his 20th birthday, he became only the fourth teenager to score in a Champions League Final, after Carlos Alberto (2004), Patrick Kluivert (1995) and teammate Senny Mayulu, who netted PSG's fifth on the night.
Having also become a full France international earlier this year, Doué was on target 15 times across all competitions during his debut campaign in Paris, so will he continue to shine this summer?
9) Manager Luis Enrique: seeking more silverware
Luis Enrique is finally the man to deliver PSG's maiden Champions League title, winning seven major honours during his two seasons in Paris, so will he add to his collection?
When he was Barcelona manager, Lucho hoisted aloft nine major trophies, including the Club World Cup in Yokohama a decade ago, so will he lead Paris Saint-Germain to yet more glory?
10) Are Paris Saint-Germain favourites to win the Club World Cup?
PSG kick off their Club World Cup campaign in Los Angeles, facing both Atlético Madrid and then Botafogo at the Rose Bowl, before taking on Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field.
Given their recent Champions League triumph, it's not bold to suggest that les Rouge-et-Bleu are the favourites to win this tournament, and they're going to take some beating.