Sevilla FC’s Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium is to host the inaugural Club Challenge between the winners of Europe’s UEFA Europa League and South America’s CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
This year’s pilot edition will take place between Sevilla and Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle on July 19.
A UEFA spokesperson said in a statement: “The Club Challenge is part of the expansion of the cooperation between UEFA and CONMEBOL, which notably includes women’s football, futsal and youth categories, the exchange of referees, technical training schemes and the Finalissima, which pits the respective winners of the women’s and men’s UEFA European Championship against the Copa América holders.”
The Club Challenge is a one-off fixture played over 90 minutes. There is no extra time, so if the tie is level at the end of regulation time, it goes straight to penalties. A specifically designed plate and medals will be awarded to the winners.
The inaugural Club Challenge will be named “Antonio Puerta XII” in honour of the former Sevilla player, who died in 2007 aged 22 following a cardiac arrest. Tickets will be made available to fans of both clubs and the general public through Sevilla FC.
The 42,700-capacity Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium hosted the 2022 Europa League final between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. Sevilla have won the Europa League seven times in the last 17 years.
The 2022 Finalissima took place between the winners of UEFA Euro 2020, Italy, and the winners of the 2021 Copa América, Argentina, at Wembley Stadium in London. Argentina won the match 3–0 for their second title. An earlier version of the event was held in 1985 between France and Uruguay and in 1993 between Denmark and Argentina.
Share this