The venue for European club football's biggest game of 2026 has been announced
The UEFA Champions League trophy(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Champions League final is European club football's showpiece occasion as the continent's best team is crowned front of an audience of hundreds of millions of fans across the world.
Real Madrid extended their record as the competition's most successful team earlier this year when they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to earn their 15th title.
The 2024/25 Champions League is underway, complete with a new format, meaning there are now 36 teams with dreams of reaching the final which will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich. But where will the 2026 final take place? FourFourTwo takes a look...
Where will the 2026 Champions League final be held?
The 2026 Champions League final will be the 71st in the competition's illustrious history, with UEFA opening the bidding for that match, plus the 2027 final, in May 2023.
To be considered, venues had to be ranked as a UEFA category four stadium, with a natural grass playing surface and a capacity of more than 70,000 preferred.
The Puskas Arena in Budapest
Just two national associations put their names forward to host the 2026 Champions League final, with Hungary offering up the Puskas Arena in Budapest, while Italy nominated the San Siro in Milan.
A decision was made by UEFA in May 2024 to award the 2026 final to the Puskas Arena, while the San Siro was given the 2027 final. However, UEFA reopened the bidding for the 2027 final in September, after Milan officials failed to assure UEFA that redevelopment work at the San Siro would not impact the event.
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A decision on the 2027 final is expected in May or June 2025, but that will not stop Hungary's preparation for the 2026 final.
The Puskas Arena is the national stadium of Hungary and opened in November 2019 after costing €533million to construct, after it was built on the site of the former Ferenc Puskas Stadium that was closed in 2016 after more than 60 years of use.
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That stadium was renamed to honour Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas in 2002, with the new ground maintaining his name. The 67,000-capacity arena hosted four games during Euro 2020 which was played across the continent, the 2020 UEFA Super Cup, plus the 2023 Europa League final in which Sevilla beat Roma on penalties.
The Puskas Arena was also used for a number of Champions League and Europa League matches played behind-closed-doors during the pandemic-affected 2020/21 campaign.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
