“Champions League Final Contingency Plan: Could the Location Change from Istanbul to Lisbon?”

The first semi-final meetings are played in the Champions League between Manchester City and Real Madrid, as well as between Inter and Milan. The plan is for the final to be played at Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadyumu on June 10 in Istanbul, Turkey, but that could possibly change.

Already in mid-April, the English newspaper The Independent reported that Uefa has one contingency plan for if the final needs to be moved to another arena and city, as there may be any unrest surrounding it the Turkish election on May 14, which is thus just over a month before the final match.

Now the English newspaper Daily Mail reports that Uefa has taken the next step, and held talks about moving the final to the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal – if there is unrest in Istanbul as a result of the presidential election.

Istanbul was originally supposed to be the host city for the Champions League final in 2020 and then in 2021, but due to the corona pandemic, the matches were moved to Lisbon and Porto. Uefa is said to be fundamentally unwilling to move this year’s final, but may still be forced to consider a late change to ensure the safety of supporters traveling to the match.