Champions League final officially moved to Porto
Porto s Estadio do Dragao will host the Champions League final | Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
UEFA have confirmed that the upcoming Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City has officially been moved to the Estádio do Dragão in Portugal.
Initially scheduled to take place in Istanbul, plans quickly had to change after the UK government added Turkey to their red list for COVID-19 travel restrictions, with trips to the country to be avoided unless completely necessary.
Wembley was UEFA s preferred venue | Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images
The government had offered up Wembley Stadium for the event, which made a lot of sense as both participants are English, but despite UEFA agreeing to a move to Wembley, logistical issues got in the way, with quarantine rules for visiting officials thought to be one of the biggest hurdles.
Inside UEFA - UEFA Champions League final to move to Portugal to allow 6,000 fans of each team to attend - News
UEFA Champions League final to move to Portugal to allow 6,000 fans of each team to attend Thursday 13 May 2021
Article summary
Porto chosen to replace Istanbul following insurmountable travel difficulties for English fans as a result of Turkey being placed on UK’s ‘red list’.
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The UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City FC and Chelsea FC will be held at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto on 29 May 2021, kick off 2100 CEST, following an offer to stage the game by the Portuguese FA (FPF) and the Portuguese authorities.
May 14, 2021
PARIS (AFP) – UEFA announced yesterday that the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea had been moved from Istanbul to Porto.
The match on May 29 has been switched to the Estadio do Dragao to allow English spectators to attend as travel between the United Kingdom (UK) and Turkey is suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, European football’s governing body announced up to 6,000 supporters from each club will be able to attend.
“We accept that the decision of the British government to place Turkey on the red list for travel was taken in good faith and in the best interests of protecting its citizens from the spread of the virus but it also presented us with a major challenge in staging a final featuring two English teams,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.
According to
ESPN, the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City has been moved to Porto. The Estadio do Dragao will now host the showpiece event on May 29th as a solution was found by UEFA.
The Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, was initially scheduled to host the final on 29th May. But things went awry since the UK government decided to add Turkey to the red list. This meant that any English fans travelling there would have to quarantine for 10 days when they return. In such a circumstance, shifting the UCL final was considered, with the Wembley Stadium being a possible venue.