UEFA ‘could host the Champions League final in NEW YORK’

The American dream? UEFA ‘could host the Champions League final in NEW YORK’ as part of plans to revamp Europe’s biggest club competition to 36 teams from 2024

  • UEFA aim to revamp the Champions League format from the 2024-25 season
  • New 36-team system could see tournament focus on widening global appeal
  • Europe’s governing body open to increasing revenue by opening up to the USA

UEFA are reportedly planning a radical move to take the Champions League final out of Europe and to New York as part of plans to widen the competition’s global appeal.

Europe’s governing body are already in the process of making radical revamps to the competition that will see it extended to 36 teams from 2024 – up four from the long held 32-team format.

But according to the Sun, the new format will also see the final taken to New York as part of a process to extend global commercial interests and appease existing sponsorship deals. 

Bayern Munich are the holders of the Champions League after winning the 2020 final in Lisbon

This year’s final will be staged in Istanbul, with the following events to be held in St Petersburg, Munich and then Wembley, for the final time in the current format, in 2024.

But from the 2024-25 campaign, UEFA aim to overhaul the competition.

The new 36-team format would see two of the extra four places awarded to teams based on ‘historical coefficients’ which allow teams with strong European pedigree from past performances to get into the competition through the back door.

It’s a move that would likely benefit any of the ‘so-called’ big-six in the Premier League if they were to miss out on a top four place, but would have significant advantages to any traditional elite team across Europe’s top leagues who could struggle domestically too.

But UEFA are reportedly keen on taking the final out of Europe and to New York in a revamp

But UEFA are reportedly keen on taking the final out of Europe and to New York in a revamp

The old group stage format which has been consistently used throughout the last two decades is also likely to be dispensed with. Currently it features eight groups of four teams who play each team in their group twice before the top two from each progress to the last-16.

But under the new ‘swiss model’ the format would be altered drastically to produce one final table that will be the result of teams having played 10 matches against seeded opponents.

The top eight progress to the last-16 as a seeded team, while sides ranked from ninth to 24th battle to join them in the knock-out stages which otherwise are likely to remain unchanged in terms of format. 

While UEFA are keen to press ahead with the plans they will likely face opposition from Europe’s top leagues, including the Premier League, especially in regards to the added fixtures to the calendar.  

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin has previously hinted taking the final out of Europe

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin has previously hinted taking the final out of Europe

A final in New York would appeal to UEFA who would be keen to cash in on the American market and its demand to see competitive matches from Europe played stateside.

Staging the final in the US would also likely start a bidding war between the nation’s broadcasters for rights to screen arguably the biggest club match in the world. 

Matches on the east coast of the United States would be best set to appease both the US and Europe, with the latter getting to stage a final at around 8pm while at the same time accommodating to a 3pm time slot in the US.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin hinted at taking the Champions League final out of Europe shortly after his election in 2016.

He said: ‘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.’