UEFA strips San Siro of hosting 2026/27 Champions League Final

UEFA will reopen the bidding to host the 2027 men’s Champions League final after the match was taken away from the famous San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy.

European football’s governing body has gone back to the drawing board after authorities in the Italian city could not offer guarantees that refurbishment work at San Siro stadium and the surrounding area would not affect the match,” according to Mirror.

The football body indicated in May that a decision on the 2027 final host was being postponed, subject to receiving the necessary guarantees around the San Siro refurbishment.

Now, a decision on a new host is expected in May or June next year.

“As the Municipality of Milano could not guarantee that the San Siro stadium and its surroundings would not be affected by refurbishment works in the period of the 2027 UEFA Champions League final, it was decided not to assign the final to Milan and to re-open the bidding process to appoint a suitable venue, with a decision expected in May/June 2025,” UEFA said in a statement.

Agreement has also been reached over UEFA’s solidarity funding, with Premier League clubs outside of European competition receiving a smaller slice over the next three seasons than under the previous agreement.

The last time the San Siro hosted the Champions League final was in 2016 when Spanish giants Real Madrid edged city rivals Atletico in a penalty shootout.

It also hosted the final in 2001 between Bayern Munich and Valencia which the Germans won via penalties.