The Champions League final will now take place in Porto so 12,000 Chelsea and Manchester City fans can attend. The game on 29 May was moved from Turkey because of coronavirus travel restrictions.
6,000 fans from each club will be able to attend the football match now it has moved to the Portuguese city.
The game was originally planned to take place at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey. But the country is currently on England’s red list for international travel. However, Portugal is on the green list so fans and players can go without having to quarantine when they return home. The final will now be staged at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is delighted at the compromise, as he did not want supporters to be deprived of the chance to see the match in person.
There were talks about the final being held at Wembley Stadium. But Uefa and the Football Association could not reach an agreement with UK government officials regarding quarantine exemptions for sponsors, VIPs and broadcasters.
The wait to attend live games is over
The Champions League final is the biggest game of the season. After the last 12 months without the ability for fans to see their teams live it is not right they would not get to see this.
Chelsea and Manchester City are both in discussions with Uefa and other stakeholders about ticketing and travel arrangements. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 13:00 BST on 24 May. Meanwhile Man City hope to offer fans a day trip travel package to Porto.
This makes it the second year in a row that the final has been held in Portugal. The delayed stages of last season were played in Lisbon. The competition was won by Bayern Munich.
The government’s decision to place Turkey on the red list put the FA in a difficult position. It is a major challenge to move the location of the final. Authorities did all they could to try and stage the match in England, as both teams playing are English sides.
Ceferin wants the final to be a symbol of hope at Europe emerging from a difficult period.
Thank you for reading Champions League Final in Porto so fans can attend
Looking for additional living space or somewhere quiet to work from home? Look no further – Log cabins at affordable prices.