Champions League final could be held outside of Europe as Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin hints at New York switch
European football’s new chief Aleksander Ceferin has hinted that the Champions League final could be played in the United States as part of plans to take the competition to different continents.
Ceferin, who replaced the banned Michel Platini as president of European governing body Uefa last month, also hinted that the semi-finals could follow the final in being moved to a Saturday.
“To go from Portugal to Azerbaijan, for example, is almost the same or the same as if you go to New York,” he said.
Read more: Uefa's new boss is on collision course with Europe's top clubs
“For the fans it’s no problem but we should see. It’s a European competition so let’s think about it. I think it might be an idea in future but we have to speak about it.”
The Slovenian also floated the idea of showcasing the semi-finals in a weekend slot in order to attract a bigger worldwide audience.
“We should think also about other markets, but how to do it exactly I’m not sure yet,” Ceferin told the Associated Press. “China is financially interesting and the US is not just financially interesting, but football is growing there.”
Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium is set to host this season’s Champions League final, while Kiev has been chosen to stage the 2017-18 match.