The stadium, located in the heart of the capital, hosted European Championship matches and will host the final of the Europa League in May.Continue reading
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on Tuesday that Hungary and Italy are interested in hosting the 2026 and 2027 Champions League finals, reports Nemzeti Sport.
According to UEFA’s website, Hungary is bidding to host the final at Puskás Arena, while Italy is bidding to host it at San Siro in Milan.
The two bids could also mean that Budapest has a very good chance of hosting the final of the world’s most prestigious club competition in three or four years’ time.
UEFA’s member associations had until Monday to express their interest in each event, but this does not yet constitute a formal bid, which must be submitted by February 21, 2024. UEFA’s executive committee decides on the venues for the eight finals next May.
Interested bidders for the 2026 & 2027 club finals are:#UCLfinal: Hungary, Italy.#UWCLfinal: Germany, Norway, Scotland.#UELfinal: Germany, Romania, Scotland, Türkiye.#UECLfinal: Germany, Israel, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, Türkiye.
Your pick for each final? pic.twitter.com/nxMolUTEnA
— UEFA (@UEFA) July 18, 2023
However, as Nemzeti Sport points out, according to reports, only Italy and Hungary has applied for the Champions League finals in 2026 and 2027, meaning that each country could be a host for one final.
Hungary, Budapest, and Puskás Arena have been excellent hosts of many prestigious events in recent times, with positive feedback from UEFA, teams and fans alike,”
Jenő Sipos, spokesman of the Hungarian Football Association, told M1 news channel, adding that the organization had a “long-standing desire” to host the Champions League final in Hungary.
The Puskás Arena is located at the heart of Budapest. Photo: Facebook/Puskás Aréna
He pointed out that
the country already has a facility suitable for hosting such a match, and the organizers have proven their worth at the European Championship, the European Super Cup, and this year’s Europa League final, all of which were hosted at Puskás Arena.
“UEFA will shortly send out an information note setting out the strict conditions that must be met to host the Champions League final, after which the application can be submitted. The whole world would pay attention to Budapest for such a match, which would attract many tourists to Hungary,” the spokesman said.
Photo: Facebook/Puskás Aréna
Sándor Csányi, president of the Hungarian Football Association, already said at the association’s general assembly in April that a bid would be made for the next available final, the 2026 final of the European Football Championship. According to him, the advantage is that UEFA is fully satisfied with the Hungarian organization of international matches, while the disadvantage is that there are much bigger stadiums.
We will bid until we win,”
Csányi emphasized.
Next year’s UEFA Champions League final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, while the 2025 final will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Featured photo via Facebook/Puskás Aréna