Lisbon is set to become the host city for the Champions League knockout stages, with the UEFA Executive Committee expected to approve a 12-day condensed tournament for August this Wednesday.
As part of the proposal, Lisbon will stage the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final from 12- 23 August. The ties are also expected to be played across two of the Portuguese capital’s stadiums, the Estadio da Luz and the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon’s respective grounds.
Whilst the final stages of the Champions League has been decided, the four remaining round of 16 fixtures, which includes Bayern Munich vs Chelsea and Manchester City vs Real Madrid, have yet to receive a confirmed date or a venue.
The news will be considered a blow for Istanbul, which was the original host of the finals prior to the global health pandemic, however, it is reported that UEFA will compensate the Turkish city with the opportunity to stage a future final.
Despite the majority of women’s football coming to a conclusion, it is expected that the Women’s Champions league will be concluded with Spain being a likely destination. Moreover, the Europa League’s schedule and venue placement will also be discussed at UEFA’s meeting on Wednesday, along with the previously mentioned topics.
The global health pandemic has caused multiple leagues to restructure and reschedule not only for the current season but for the next campaign as well. With the European competition being staged at a later date, it is also expected to be announced by UEFA that the 2020/21 tournament will be moved to October.
Whilst plans are starting to be put into motion, there are still major discussions over Champions League and Europa League qualification next season and also how these current condensed tournaments will be managed. The likelihood is that the Lisbon games will be played behind closed doors, however, guidelines could be relaxed depending on the current landscape closer to the time.
