US could host Champions League final in future — Uefa

The Champions League final could be staged in the US in the future as Europe’s soccer governing body looks to capitalise on the sport’s rising popularity in the country, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has said.

The showpiece event in European club football has never been held outside the continent since the competition’s inception in 1955, but Ceferin said a break from tradition could be on the cards as they toyed with the idea.

“It’s possible. We started to discuss about that but then one year it was the World Cup (2020) 2024 is Euros, this year (the final) is in Istanbul, 2024 is in London and 2025 is in Munich and after that, let’s see,” Ceferin told the Men in Blazers podcast.

“Football is extremely popular in the US these days ... Americans are ready to pay for the best.

“So they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow the NBA.

“What shocked me [about the American audience] was that the European Championship finals were watched by more people in the US than the NBA finals.

“For 30 matches of the Euros, the viewership was like Super Bowl viewership.”

This year’s Super Bowl attracted an average of 113-million viewers on US television and digital platforms.

However, Ceferin said the time difference was a problem, especially if they played in the afternoon on the Pacific coast which would see matches kick off around midnight in Europe.

The US will co-host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.

Ceferin, who has been Uefa president since 2016, was reelected earlier this month and will serve until 2027.