UEFA Set Dates For Champions, Europa Leagues Finals

UEFA is proposing to play the Champions League final on the last Saturday in August as talks continue over rescheduling the completion of the European and domestic seasons.

The final was due to be played at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on May 30, but could now be pushed back to August 29 as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The Europa League final in Gdansk has been earmarked for August 26.

Four Champions League last-16 second-leg ties have still to be concluded, including Manchester City against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium and Chelsea’s trip to Bayern Munich.

But there have been discussions about playing the matches between July 28 and 29, with the rest concluded in August.

Europa League ties would, in theory, be played in the same weeks although there are still 10 last-16 matches to factor in – two first-leg ties and eight second legs.

Manchester United hold a 5-0 away first-leg advantage over LASK, while Wolves face Olympiacos at Molineux, having drawn 1-1 in Greece.

UEFA is open to playing European matches concurrently with domestic games but the strong preference of many clubs has been to finish their own league campaigns before turning their attention to Europe.

UEFA has also discussed the possibility of playing the remaining Champions League and Europa League ties over one leg if necessary and has even proposed the idea of a mini-tournament, where all the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches are played over one leg over the course of a week in one location.

But the best-case scenario remains for all the existing matches to be played as broadcasters have paid tens of millions to televise games.