Champions League Final To Be Moved From Ataturk Olympic Stadium In Turkey

The Champions League final will not be held at its planned site, Istanbul, amid the ongoing crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

European soccer’s governing body UEFA is now considering a number of alternative venues as it plans to complete the competition, which was part way through its round of 16 stage when — like most other sporting events — it paused indefinitely.

Now with national leagues starting to emerge to complete their seasons, UEFA is concluding talks on how to finish the Champions League and its secondary Europa League in August.
The Europa League final had been set to be held in Gdansk, Poland.

UEFA will hold further talks with Turkish officials next week, to finalize an agreement to move the event. Istanbul could be picked to host the final at a later date.

The Spanish news media reported that UEFA was planning to host this year’s Champions League final, an event that draws more viewers globally than the Super Bowl, in Lisbon.

There are a small number of other candidates, according to the person with knowledge of the matter.

The original date for the final at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul was May 30.