Can Anyone Stop the PSG Machine?
After winning a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title, Paris Saint-Germain begins 2026/27 with an even deeper squad. RC Lens, AS Monaco and the rest of France face an increasingly difficult challenge.
Winning Ligue 1 has become routine for Paris Saint-Germain. The capital club secured its fifth consecutive championship in 2025/26 and a record-extending 14th French title, confirming first place with a 2-0 victory over runner-up RC Lens. Under Luis Enrique, the question entering 2026/27 is no longer whether PSG should be favored, but whether anyone in France has enough quality and consistency to stop it.
PSG is not slowing down
What makes PSG particularly difficult to challenge is that its dominance has been accompanied by renewal rather than an aging core. Its starting lineup in 2025/26 was the youngest in club history in Ligue 1, with an average age of 23 years and 362 days. The team also reached a second consecutive Champions League final while winning the domestic championship.
The current squad still includes Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Vitinha, João Neves, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho. Then PSG added another proven Ligue 1 creator: Maghnes Akliouche, signed from AS Monaco through 2031 after producing seven goals and 11 assists in 43 matches last season.
That is the problem for the rest of the league. PSG already had extraordinary depth and has strengthened again without abandoning the young, technical identity developed by Luis Enrique.
Lens proved PSG can be challenged
If there is encouragement for the rest of France, it comes from RC Lens. Pierre Sage’s side pushed the champions deep into last season and produced the second-best campaign in club history by points per game, winning 64.7% of its league matches.
Lens has also reinforced its squad. Algerian midfielder Yassine Titraoui signed through 2031 after starring in Belgium, while Croatian forward Franjo Ivanović arrived on loan from Benfica after scoring regularly despite serving largely as a backup to Vangelis Pavlidis
Can Monaco close the gap?
AS Monaco must respond after losing Akliouche, but its recruitment offers reasons for optimism. The club signed 23-year-old striker Matthis Abline from FC Nantes after he recorded eight goals and seven assists in 35 Ligue 1 appearances last season.
Who can really stop PSG?
Over one match, several Ligue 1 teams can hurt PSG. Over an entire season, the task is much harder.
Lens has already shown that it can remain in the race, while Monaco continues to invest in young talent. But PSG combines championship experience, elite individual quality and one of the deepest squads in European soccer.
For now, the machine remains the clear favorite. To stop it, a challenger may need an exceptional season — and probably some help from PSG itself.
