is near uefa champions league Finally overtaken by Europe? Is it only a matter of time before club football’s biggest game is staged in the United States, the Middle East or beyond?
Last week, Juan Emilio Roa, commercial director of South American confederation CONMEBOL, said, said Discussed about hosting Copa Libertadores This has occurred primarily to capitalize on business opportunities outside South America. Nevertheless, the UEFA issue is becoming a practical one rather than a commercial or financial one.
Despite the prestige of hosting the final and the potential financial boost to the local economy of the chosen city, UEFA announced last week that only Munich has submitted a bid to host the 2028 final, while only London and Barcelona have entered the race for the rights to host the 2029 final.
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Barcelona has not hosted a Champions League final since Manchester United Defeated Bayern Munich In 1999 at Camp Nou – in the old stadium, which had fallen from the last rota, but has now been extensively renovated and will soon be reopened. But Munich’s Allianz Arena staged this year’s final Paris Saint Germain And inter MilanWhile London’s Wembley Stadium was the venue to host the final for the third time in 13 years in 2024.
UEFA has stripped Milan of the rights to host in 2027 after the city failed to provide assurances that San Siro would be in a fit condition to host the game – Inter and AC Milan Plans confirmed this week To demolish the stadium and build a new 71,500-capacity ground on the existing site — Atletico MadridEstadio Metropolitano was announced as the new host in September, The final was most recently staged in 2019.
So are we headed to a Stateside Champions League final? will we see soon real Madrid versus liverpool Bayern Munich against Paris Saint-Germain in New York City, or Chicago?
“If the Champions League final were held in the US, it would be hugely successful,” US-based sports executive and promoter Charlie Stillitano told ESPN.
“Don Garber, of MLS The Commissioner, is on record saying that America is the ATM of the football world, and I remember former Manchester United and chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon told me 20 years ago that there were 50 million paid soccer fans in America. It’s now perhaps 100 million, and there is an insatiable appetite for major sporting events in the US, especially a high-level product like the Champions League final.
“But UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin recently said he wanted European league games to be played on home soil if permitted.” Villarreal‘S LaLiga game against barcelona “It has to be played in Miami, so for that reason, I don’t think UEFA will hold the Champions League final abroad in the near future.”
Barcelona’s Miami clash with Villarreal has since been canceledBut AC Milan’s plans to play still remain in place serie a game against como Next February in Perth, Australia. Although Ceferin objected Regarding league games being played abroad, he said that it is “possible” that the Champions League final be played in the United States in 2023.
However, it is clear that UEFA faces a dwindling pool of suitable host cities and stadiums for the game. Between the first edition of the rebranded Champions League in 1993 and Liverpool’s victory against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005, twelve different cities hosted thirteen finals during that period, with only Munich’s Olympiastadion hosting it twice. Athens, Vienna, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Glasgow (Hampden Park), Manchester (Old Trafford), Gelsenkirchen and Istanbul completed the diverse list.
But sources have told ESPN that UEFA is now at least four risk-free venues for future Champions League finals, given the requirements each host city must meet to stage the game. It must have a stadium with a minimum capacity of 65,000 spectators and surrounding space for a secure perimeter, but must also have significant infrastructure, including an international airport and an adequate local transport system, as well as the capacity of hotel rooms capable of handling the influx of traveling supporters, sponsors, media and VIPs.
The host stadium must also be able to provide a broadcast complex – an area large enough to accommodate studios, heavy goods vehicles and communications lines – while also having sufficient corporate entertainment areas to meet the heavy demand.
With its 90,000 capacity, 161 corporate boxes and nine different banquet suites capable of hosting 18,000 guests, as well as connections to four major airports, a vast public transport network and vast hotel space, sources have told ESPN that Wembley is considered by UEFA to be the ideal Champions League final venue.
The new Camp Nou has similar advantages to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu and the Metropolitano, while Munich also meets UEFA standards, albeit with a smaller stadium and bank of hotel rooms.
Budapest will host the 2026 final at the 67,100-capacity Puskás Arena, but the occasion will stretch the Hungarian capital to the limits. It has an airport and a Soviet-era metro system, while travel website Booking.com reports that 92% of accommodation in the city is already unavailable for the Champions League final weekend on 29–30 May. If Budapest proves successful, it could open the door for cities of similar size to bid to host the Champions League final. But, right now, UEFA’s options are limited.
Moscow (2008 host) and Saint Petersburg (which was due to host the 2022 final before being moved to Paris) are out of the question for 2022 due to Russia being banned from UEFA competition following its invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv, host of the 2018 final, is also out of question due to the ongoing conflict. Rome’s Stadio Olimpico has not hosted a final since 2009, with neither the stadium nor the Italian capital’s infrastructure keeping up with the demands. Paris is unlikely to be considered until UEFA is convinced Crowd-control issues hit 2022 final Will not be repeated between Real Madrid and Liverpool.
Previous hosts such as Vienna, Amsterdam and Glasgow no longer have suitable stadiums, while Athens, Lisbon, Manchester and Cardiff will also lack infrastructure and hotel space. Berlin would have been a possible option if the city submitted a bid, but Baku missed out on a bid to host in 2027, largely due to the difficulties faced by supporters traveling to Azerbaijan in large numbers from Western Europe.
“I attended the 2019 Europa League Final armory And Chelsea in Baku,” Stillitano said. “And let me tell you, it would have been easier and cheaper for the fans if the game was in New York instead of Azerbaijan.
“The U.S. can definitely organize a Champions League final, there’s no doubt about that. More than five million fans have already registered for World Cup tickets next year, so there’s hunger and money, but I think the most likely next step is to hold a Club World Cup every two years.”
“FIFA, UEFA and Premier League There are three of the most powerful soccer organizations/brands in the world and FIFA and the Premier League have already arrived on the American sports scene. So we’ll see what happens with UEFA, but I think it’s difficult for them to take the Champions League outside of Europe right now.”
Sources have said UEFA has no current plans to stage the Champions League final outside Europe, but the organization now has a choice: accept the Champions League final host cities – London, Madrid, Munich, Barcelona – underhanded or go global and take club football’s biggest game to the world.
