{"id":61307,"date":"2023-04-26T10:57:57","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T10:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/04\/26\/champions-league-final-in-us-possible-in-future-says-uefa\/"},"modified":"2023-04-26T10:57:57","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T10:57:57","slug":"champions-league-final-in-us-possible-in-future-says-uefa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/04\/26\/champions-league-final-in-us-possible-in-future-says-uefa\/","title":{"rendered":"Champions League final in US ‘possible’ in future, says Uefa"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Aleksander
Aleksander Ceferin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Champions League final could be staged in the United States in the future as Europe\u2019s soccer governing body looks to capitalise on the sport\u2019s rising popularity in the country, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has said.<\/p>\n

The showpiece event in European club football has never been held outside the continent since the competition\u2019s inception in 1955, but Ceferin said a break from tradition could be on the cards as they toyed with the idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible. We started to discuss about that but then one year it was the World Cup, (20)24 is Euros, this year (the final) is in Istanbul, \u201924 is in London and \u201925 is in Munich and after that, let\u2019s see,\u201d Ceferin told the Men in Blazers podcast.<\/p>\n

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says the growing popularity of football in the USA could see a future Champions League final being hosted there. pic.twitter.com\/GW2RsmK0iI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 25, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cFootball is extremely popular in the United States these days\u2026 Americans are ready to pay for best and nothing for the less. So they will follow European football as basketball lovers in Europe follow the NBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat shocked me (about the American audience) was that the European Championship finals was watched by more people in the United States than the NBA Finals\u2026 For 30 matches of the Euros, the viewership was like Super Bowl viewership.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Super Bowl attracted an average of 113 million viewers on US television and digital platforms.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.<\/p>\n

Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer who has been Uefa president since 2016, was re-elected unopposed during their Ordinary Congress in Lisbon earlier this month and will serve a four-year term until 2027.<\/p>\n

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