UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, has received declarations of interest from nine countries to host the finals of its club competitions in 2026 and 2027.
Announced today (July 18), the organization said the declarations of interest are not binding and the final proposals will have to be delivered with the bid dossiers by February 21, 2024. All declarations apply to both the 2026 and 2027 club finals.
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For the 2026 and 2027 finals of the premier UEFA Champions League, the interested bidders are Hungary and Italy, with the Puskás Aréna in Budapest and the iconic San Siro in Milan put forward as the venues, respectively.
Meanwhile, for the second-tier Europa League, Germany (Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig, or Stuttgart), Romania (National Arena, Bucharest), Scotland (Glasgow), and Turkey (Istanbul – the venues of either Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, or Galatasaray) have expressed an interest.
For Germany and Turkey, one host city and venue will need to be confirmed when the bid is officially submitted.
The countries interested in staging the third-tier Conference League final include Germany (Leipzig Stadium), Israel (Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem), Norway (Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo), and Switzerland (Stade de Genève, Geneva), while Scotland and Turkey have also declared an interest for the same venues.
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By GlobalDataMeanwhile, Germany (Gelsenkirchen, Munich, or Stuttgart), Scotland, and Norway are also seeking to stage the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
The UEFA executive committee will appoint the host cities of the eight finals in May next year.
The selection process was launched on May 17, with a July 17 deadline set for associations to express their interest.
Bid requirements will now be provided to interested parties on July 26. The final bid submission deadline is February, with a preliminary deadline this November.
With a total of eight events on offer, UEFA encouraged member associations to bid for both years of the same event final, although they can only be appointed for one.
National associations can only be appointed for one competition final across both years.
UEFA has outlined various key criteria for bids. The playing surface at the proposed stadium must measure 105m in length and 68m in width, and there are also minimum capacities that must be adhered to.
For the Champions League, UEFA has said there should be a minimum capacity of 70,000 but with a 10% tolerance. For the Europa League that drops to 40,000, while for the Women’s Champions League and Europa Conference League, the number is 30,000.
Last season, the finals of the aforementioned quartet of competitions took place in Istanbul (men’s Champions League), Budapest (Europa League), Prague (Europa Conference League), and Eindhoven (Women’s Champions League).
The Champions League final was held in Istanbul’s 75,000-seat Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Wembley, in London, will stage the 2024 men’s Champions League final, while the Allianz Arena in Munich will do so in 2025.
Dublin in Ireland will stage the finale of next season’s Europa League, with the 2025 edition to be held at San Mames in Bilbao.
The Greek capital Athens will do the same for the Europa Conference League final next year and will be followed by the Wrocław Stadium in Poland in 2025.
The 2024 Women’s Champions League final will also be held at San Mames, while the 2025 final will be played at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon.
Image: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
