The Champions League is the favorite and most important tournament in the life of almost every football player. Every year the Champions League final is held at different stadiums in the most diverse parts of Europe, but very soon an innovation may be introduced that will not appeal to everyone.
Dozens of the richest people in the US have invested billions of dollars in European football in recent years, but this is just the beginning of a big operation to change it. In 2026, interest in regular football will grow in North America, as the World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and after it, it is important for local authorities and businessmen to consolidate the relatively new hobby of local residents.
UEFA and FIFA are negotiating a possible hosting of the Champions League final in the USA. It should be noted that the talk about this is far from new: a few years ago, UEFA representatives did not hide their thoughts about the attractiveness of the American market, and also in 2019, at the opening of the MetLife stadium, it was directly stated that it could host the Champions League final as early as 2024. By the appointed date, it was not possible to agree, because the next three finals will be held by Istanbul, London and Munich, so the idea will be realized no earlier than in 2026.
From the point of view of expanding the football audience, profiting from various commercial sources and attracting sponsors for the future, this is a great idea, but there are too many “buts”. At the very least, the departure from traditions is frightening, because it will be as strange as possible to see the final match between European teams across the ocean, which has never happened in history. In addition, there is a question of some disrespect for fans from Europe, who, to put it mildly, will be a little uncomfortable getting up at night or early in the morning to watch the long-awaited match.
It is clear that whoever pays more dictates the terms, but something is weakly represented by the NBA final in conditional Romania or the NHL final in Albania. In history, there have been cases of holding some basketball league matches in Europe, but this cannot be compared with the Champions League final. If the United States is already pursuing such deals, then in the coming years we may find out about hosting the European Championship final on another continent. Unless it can surprise after Champions League in America?
When the president of Real Madrid promoted the Super League, UEFA called it greed and the desire to break established traditions, and when Aleksander Ceferin pulls the final of the main club tournament in the United States, this is the norm. Double standarts?
Source: Sovsport
