For the third time, two clubs from the same country played each other in the UEFA Super Cup, after the all-Italian
1990 and
1993 editions.
Barcelona guaranteed a sixth presence in the UEFA Super Cup match, following their victorious campaign in the
2005–06 UEFA Champions League, where they defeated first-time finalists
Arsenal by 2–1, at the
Stade de France in
Paris. Their first three presences—as
1979,
1982 and
1989UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners—resulted in an equal number of defeats. Having won their first European Cup title in
1992, Barcelona finally claimed the Super Cup trophy in their fourth attempt by beating
Werder Bremen 3–2 on aggregate. Five years later, as
1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup holders they defeated another German club (
Borussia Dortmund) to add a second Super Cup to their cabinet.[6]
Before the 2006 UEFA Super Cup, the two clubs had previously met in European competition only once. It was in the third round of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup edition, and it resulted in a 4–2 aggregate win for Barcelona.[7]