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Champions League Final Could Be Played In New York In 2024

Champions League Final Could Be Played In New York In 2024

The biggest game in European football could move out of the continent for the first time, with the competition getting a revamp.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

The Champions League final could be played in New York from 2024, with UEFA planning a complete revamp of Europe's biggest club competition.

UEFA are set to revamp the competition in three years time with plans to extend the amount of teams in the 'proper' stages from 32 to 36.

Instead of eight groups of four the teams would take part in one large group, using the 'Swiss System,' but another huge change could be the location of the final.

According to the Sun, UEFA have started pitching the idea of taking the showpiece of European football to the Big Apple for the first final of the revamp.

The next few finals are already planned to be in Istanbul, St Petersburg, Munich and Wembley, under the current format, but nothing has been decided after that.

The MetLife Stadium could host the Champions League final. Image: PA Images
The MetLife Stadium could host the Champions League final. Image: PA Images

It is not the first time that talks about taking the final abroad have been proposed, with the USA also the location for previous talk about the possibility.

Back in November 2019 it was reported that TEAM Marketing AG, who represent the commercial interests of UEFA, had spoken to potential partners and media rights holders of the plan.

The claims went as far as to say that the Metlife Stadium, which is home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, and has twice hosted WrestleMania, is their preferred location.

One 'US Soccer insider' told the newspaper, "We've seen crowds of 100,000 or more for pre-season friendlies involving big European sides over here.

"Commercially it makes all the sense in the world for Uefa to explore this."

If the final took place at 3pm local time in New York then it would kick off at 8pm in the UK and 9pm in mainland Europe, which is the usual kick off time for the final.

However it would of course affect fans wanting to travel for the match as it would be further away than many locations on the continent.

Baku was a logistical nightmare for Chelsea and Arsenal fans. Image: PA Images
Baku was a logistical nightmare for Chelsea and Arsenal fans. Image: PA Images

In 2016 President Aleksander Ceferin discussed the possibility, saying, "I think it might be an idea in the future but we have to speak about it.

"To go from Portugal to Azerbaijan, for example, is almost the same as if you go to New York. For the fans it's no problem."

In 2019 there were loads of travel issues for fans of Arsenal and Chelsea as their Europa League final was hosted in Baku, but Azerbaijan is yet to host the Champions League final.

The 'Swiss System' would mean that each team is drawn to play 10 of the rest of the 36 teams within the one group, though teams would still be seeded, and the teams with the best records would progress to the knockout stages.

The increased number of teams would also mean the possibility of the extra places going to teams with 'historical coefficients,' to protect the biggest sides from missing out on the competition.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Champions League, USA