play
How Vinicius Junior led Real Madrid’s stunning comeback (2:00)
The “ESPN FC” crew laud Vinicius Junior after his hat trick inspires Real Madrid to a 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund having trailed 2-0 at halftime. (2:00)
-
Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FCOct 23, 2024, 06:31 AM ET
UEFA has confirmed that Madrid or Baku will stage the 2027 Champions League final after the capital cities of Spain and Azerbaijan stepped in to replace Milan as host of the showpiece fixture.
Having stripped Milan of the hosting rights last month due to the Italian city’s failure to deliver assurances that the San Siro — home stadium of AC Milan and Inter Milan — would be in a fit state to stage the game due to possible reconstruction work, UEFA re-opened the bidding process for the right to provide the venue for the biggest club game in European football and two cities — Madrid and Baku — have now applied to UEFA to host the 2027 final.
Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano, the home of Atletico Madrid, has been submitted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as a potential venue. The Metropolitano has previously staged one Champions League final in 2019, when Liverpool defeated Tottenham to win the competition for a sixth time.
Real Madrid’s Bernabéu has also staged the European Cup or Champions League final on four occasions — the most recent in 2010.
Azerbaijan has never staged a Champions League final and would be easternmost venue in the competition’s history. Baku’s Olympic Stadium, Azerbaijan’s submission for the 2027 final, staged games at Euro 2020 and also hosted the 2019 Europa League final when Chelsea defeated Arsenal to lift the trophy.
UEFA will announce the confirmed venue in May 2025. Munich’s Allianz Arena (2025) and Budapest’s Puskas Arena (2026) have already been confirmed as host stadiums for the next two Champions League finals.
Meanwhile, Warsaw’s National Stadium, Barcelona’s Camp Nou, St. Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland, and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff have all submitted bids to host the 2027 Women’s Champions League final.
