Champions League Final in U.S. ‘Possible’ in Future, Says UEFA President

By: Gyang Dakwo

The Champions League final could be staged in the United States in the future as Europe’s soccer governing body looks to capitalise on the sport’s rising popularity in the country, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said.

The showpiece event in European club football has never been held outside the continent since the competition’s inception in 1955, but Ceferin said a break from tradition could be on the cards as they toyed with the idea.

“It’s possible. We started to discuss that but then one year it was the World Cup, 2024 is Euros, this year the final is in Istanbul, ’24 is in London and ’25 is in Munich and after that, let’s see,”  Ceferin told the Men in Blazers podcast.

“Football is extremely popular in the United States these days… Americans are ready to pay for the best and nothing for the less. So, they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow the NBA”.

“What shocked me about the American audience was that the European Championship finals were watched by more people in the United States than the NBA Finals. For 30 matches of the Euros, the viewership was like Super Bowl viewership.”

However, Ceferin said the time difference was a problem, especially if they played in the afternoon on the Pacific coast which would see matches kick off around midnight in Europe.