2026 UEFA Champions League final
The Puskás Aréna in Budapest will host the final. | |
| Event | 2025–26 UEFA Champions League |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 May 2026 |
| Venue | Puskás Aréna, Budapest |
The 2026 UEFA Champions League final will be the final match of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League, the 71st season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 34th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. It will be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary,[1] on 30 May 2026.[2]
The winners will earn the right to play against the winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Europa League in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, compete in the final of the 2026 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup. The winners will also qualify to enter the league phase of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League, unless they have already qualified for the Champions League through their league performance (in which case the access list will be rebalanced).
Venue
Host selection
On 17 May 2023, UEFA opened the bidding process for the final, which was held in parallel with that of the 2027 final. Interested bidders could bid for either one or both of the finals. Additionally, bidding associations could only be appointed one UEFA final in a given year. The proposed venues had to include natural grass and be ranked as a UEFA category four stadium, with a gross capacity of at least 70,000 preferred. The bidding timeline was as follows:[2]
- 17 May 2023: Applications formally invited
- 17 July 2023: Closing date for registering intention to bid
- 26 July 2023: Bid requirements made available to bidders
- 15 November 2023: Submission of preliminary bid dossier
- 21 February 2024: Submission of final bid dossier
- 22 May 2024: Appointment of host
UEFA announced on 18 July 2023 that two associations had expressed interest in hosting the 2026 and 2027 finals during the first bidding process.[3]
| Association | Stadium | City | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | Puskás Aréna | Budapest | 67,215 |
| Italy | San Siro | Milan | 75,817 |
The Puskás Aréna was selected as the venue by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on 22 May 2024.[4][1]
Match
Details
The winner of semi-final 1 will be designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes.
On 28 August 2025, UEFA announced that starting from 2026, the kick-off time for the Champions League final would be at 18:00 CEST, earlier than the previous 21:00. The decision was designed to "enhance the matchday experience and benefit fans, teams and host cities".[5]
| Winner SF1 | v | Winner SF2 |
|---|---|---|
|
Match rules[6]
|
See also
- 2026 UEFA Europa League final
- 2026 UEFA Conference League final
- 2026 UEFA Women's Champions League final
- 2026 UEFA Super Cup
References
- ^ a b "Budapest to host UEFA Champions League Final 2026". Union of European Football Associations. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Invitation to bid to host the UEFA Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa League Finals 2026 & 2027, UEFA Europa Conference League Finals 2026 & 2027 and UEFA Women's Champions League Finals 2026 & 2027". UEFA Circular Letter. No. 24/2023. Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Nine national associations interested in hosting UEFA club competition finals in 2026 and 2027". UEFA. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ^ "UEFA Executive Committee to meet in Dublin". Union of European Football Associations. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League final kick-off moves to 18:00CET as of 2025/26 season". UEFA. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League – 2025/26 Season". UEFA. 27 June 2025. Archived from the original on 11 September 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.