USA could host Champions League games in 2026, says UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin
The US could host Champions League matches in 2026, says UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin – as he gushes over Americans paying big bucks ‘for the best and nothing less’ in sport
- Aleksander Ceferin spoke highly of the sales opportunities in the United States
- The US has never hosted a competitive European football match to date
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Champions League matches could be held in the United States as early as 2026, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin – even if it sparks outrage from fans in Europe.
It would be a great year for football in the United States, with the country co-hosting the World Cup that year with Canada and Mexico.
Europe’s lucrative elite club team competition already has finals scheduled this year in Istanbul, London in 2024 and Munich in 2025.
Ceferin said on the Men in Blazers podcast that anything is possible after that and seemed to refer to the final being held in America.
“It’s possible (Champions League could be in the US),” he said. “We started discussing that, but one year it’s the World Cup, 2024 is Euro, this year is Istanbul, ’24 in London, ’25 in Munich. And then we’ll look. It’s possible, it’s possible,
Champions League matches could go to the United States as early as 2026
The move would allow stars like Kylian Mbappe to head to the United States for big club matches
Ceferin said he is drawn to hosting games in the United States because of the financial rewards offered.
“Football is extremely popular in the United States today,” he added. “Americans are willing to pay this amount (high hand gestures) for the best and nothing for the lesser. So they will follow European football as basketball fans in Europe follow the NBA.
‘It is a very important, promising market for the future. The point is that we sell rights very well. Sponsorship from the US is moderate for the time being, but here (in the US) the commercialization is completely different than in Europe. She [Americans] are much more talented at that than we are [Europeans].
“Fans will still think in a way, these b****ds in Switzerland, it’s all about money, and I repeat a thousand times, we redistribute 97% of the money. Of course our income is huge. I’d like to see them much, much bigger than they are now.
“What actually shocked me is that our Euro (2020) final, the European national team final, was watched by more people in the United States than the NBA final. What shocked me was that 30 games of Euros, every game of viewers was a Super Bowl viewership. So I think we’re doing a good job.’
Ceferin did not suggest where in the US a Champions League match could be held, rather there were suggestions that New York could host a match.
There were suggestions in 2018 that the 2021 final could be in the Big Apple, but Ceferin quickly dismissed those suggestions.
“This idea is not being discussed at all at the moment,” he said in an official statement in 2018. “UEFA has no plans to host the Champions League final outside of Europe.”
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UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin spoke about the prospect of competitive matches in the US
In addition to co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, the United States will also host the 2024 Copa America, with the national team participating in the tournament to gain much-needed experience ahead of the World Cup.
The US and Mexico are also launching a bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The United States is the defending champion at this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand, which begins in July.