DUBLIN: The Puskas Arena in Budapest, home to the Hungary national team, will host the 2026 Champions League final, European football governing body UEFA said on Wednesday after its executive committee met in Dublin.

The decision on the venue for the 2027 final has been postponed until September subject to the Italian football federation submitting information on refurbishment plans for the San Siro stadium in Milan, UEFA said in a statement.

It is the first time Hungary will host a final of Europe’s elite club competition. However, the 67,000 capacity Puskas Arena was used for the 2023 Europa League final and matches at Euro 2020.

The 2026 Women’s Champions League final will be held at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion, the committee decided.

New bidding procedure will be opened to select the host of the 2027 Women’s Champions League final after Stuttgart’s bid was not considered due to Germany being awarded two other finals in 2026 and 2027, UEFA added.

Germany’s Stadion Frankfurt will host the 2027 Europa League final while the Europa Conference League’s 2026 final will be held at Leipzig’s RB Arena, also in Germany.

Istanbul’s Besiktas Park will host the 2026 Europa League and 2027 Europa Conference League finals.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2024