St. Petersburg, Munich and Wembley are being lined up to stage future editions of the UEFA Champions League final, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The AP, citing two people with knowledge of the matter, reported that UEFA has opted to move away from its traditional model of awarding hosting rights on a year-by-year basis by assigning host venues for the 2021, 2022 and 2023 finals.
According to the report, Zenit St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena will host the 2021 final, with Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena to host the following year. London’s Wembley Stadium would host in 2023 – the venue’s centenary year.
The hosting rights are expected to be officially assigned during UEFA’s executive committee meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia on September 24.
Gazprom Arena opened in 2017 and served as a host venue during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Allianz Arena hosted the Champions League final in 2012, when Bayern lost on penalties to Premier League club Chelsea.
The ‘new’ Wembley staged the 2011 and 2013 Champions League finals, which were won by Barcelona and Bayern, respectively.
Gazprom Arena, Allianz Arena and Wembley will also be host venues during UEFA’s European Championships national team tournament next year. Wembley will host seven matches, including the semi-finals and final.
The 2020 Champions League final will be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. The stadium also hosted the 2005 final, when Liverpool famously came from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties.
Last week, UEFA agreed to set an away ticket price cap for Champions League and Europa League matches this season. Away tickets will cost a maximum of €70 (£64/$77) in the Champions League and €45 in the Europa League as of this month’s opening group-stage fixtures.
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