Saudi Arabia has been stealing all the limelight in the footballing world over the past one year and there have been a few whispers that the country has been pushing to hold a UCL final.
The idea of hosting a UEFA Champions League (UCL) final outside of Europe has been circulating, and with Saudi Arabia’s significant advancements and substantial financial investments, UEFA might find it appealing to choose the Middle East as the venue for one of their upcoming finals. The notable progress and financial commitment from Saudi Arabia make it a strong candidate for hosting such a prestigious football event, presenting an opportunity for UEFA to expand the tournament’s global footprint.
Aleksander Ceferin was asked this same question in a recent event, the UEFA president made it absolutely clear that the Champions League final won’t be moving out of Europe, not at least during his tenure.
“Not during my term, but I won’t be here forever,” Ceferin said while speaking at a sports business congress in Hamburg(as quoted).
He also said that the recent spending spree from the Saudi Pro League does not pose any major problems for various European leagues.
“If you mainly buy players who can no longer play in Europe and overpay them, are you developing your young players?” he said.
“European fans do two things: They follow their team and their national team. And they follow competitions. They don’t follow the players,”
It’s no surprise the UEFA president is so averse to giving limelight to the Saudi Arabian sports setup but no matter what he claims, a UEFA Champions League final in Saudi can be a reality very quickly.
In April of 2023, Ceferin said in a podcast that a UCL final in the USA could happen in the near future and if that’s a possibility then a final in Saudi Arabia is just around the corner.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined the SPL, Saudi Arabia has invested billions to enhance and rebuild their football league, attracting top European talent. Unlike the MLS and the Chinese league, the Pro League has successfully drawn in younger players in their prime.
Some of them are looking to return to Europe after spending a few months in the Middle East but overall, the SPL clubs should be able to settle things by the end of the next summer transfer window.
Due to FIFA’s rotation policy, Saudi Arabia is the only contender for hosting the 2034 World Cup. In the lead-up to this global tournament, the country will definitely aim to host at least one significant European event.
