Paris replaces Russia for UEFA Champions League final

The final is to be held at the 80,000-seat Stade de France.

The Governing Body thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his personal support and commitment in reaching the final.

“UEFA would like to express its thanks and appreciation to the President of the Republic of France, Emmanuel Macron, for his personal support and commitment to moving the most prestigious sport of European club football to France in a time of unique crisis,” it said in a statement.

UEFA also stated that Ukrainian and Russian club home games and national teams competing in UEFA competitions would be played at neutral venues “until further notice”.

It further said that it would “fully support multi-stakeholder efforts to ensure the provision of rescue for football players and their families in Ukraine who face severe human suffering, destruction and displacement”.

The final of the Champions League was to be played in St. Petersburg

The Champions League final was to be held on 28 May at the Zenit Saint Petersburg stadium, with thousands of supporters from across the continent expected to attend a showcase match at European club football.

Petersburg Stadium is known as Gazprom Stadium following a sponsorship deal with Russia’s state energy company, which also sponsors the Champions League and UEFA’s Euro 2024 national team competition.

Petersburg from the final came after calls from a group of European lawmakers who asked UEFA on Thursday to change the venue and stop considering Russian cities for major international football competitions.

The lawmakers also asked UEFA to end Gazprom’s sponsorship for the continent’s elite club competition. Friday’s UEFA statement, however, made no mention of Gazprom.

The final of the 2023 Champions League is to be played in Istanbul, with Wembley in London next year and Munich’s Allianz Arena for the final in 2025.