Azerbaijan and Spain competing to host Champions League final in 2027 after withdrawal of Milan

NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Azerbaijan and Spain have declared an interest in hosting the men’s Champions League final in 2027 after bidding for European soccer’s biggest club match was reopened by UEFA.

The game is set to be staged at Baku’s Olympic Stadium or the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid after they were named by UEFA on Wednesday as the two interested bidders.

Their final proposals must be delivered by March 19, UEFA said, with a decision on who will host the final scheduled to be made in May.

The search for a new venue was opened after UEFA’s executive committee decided not to assign the final to Milan’s storied San Siro stadium.

UEFA had given extended time for the city of Milan to show the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza would be available during planned renovation work between staging ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympics and hosting games at the 2032 European Championship. City authorities ultimately could not give those guarantees.

Baku hosted games at the European Championship in 2021 and also staged the Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal in 2019.

The Metropolitano Stadium has hosted the Champions League final before, in 2019 when Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0.

UEFA also announced Wednesday that there are four interested bidders for the Women’s Champions League final in 2027: Poland (Warsaw); Spain (Barcelona), Switzerland (Basel) and Wales (Cardiff).

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer