European finals to be held in Lisbon and Cologne
June 17, 2020
The final stages of the Champions League will be held in Lisbon, UEFA announced on Wednesday, with the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia set to host the business end of the Europa League.
The Champions League final will be held in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, while the German city of Cologne will be the location of the Europa League final.
The single-leg Champions League quarterfinals are to be played in Lisbon on four consecutive days from August 12 to 15. The semifinals are due to take place on August 18 and 19, with the final set for August 23.
Already qualified for the last eight are Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
There are still second legs to play in the Round of 16 though, as Manchester City host Real Madrid, Chelsea face Bayern Munich, Juventus host Lyon and Napoli play Barcelona.
A similar format is planned to decide the Europa League winner. The remaining 16 games are to be decided at neutral venues across Germany. A "Final Eight" will take place in the cities of Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen and Cologne.
Among the teams still involved in the Europa League are Manchester United, Roma and Inter Milan. The final is slated for August 21.
Istanbul had been the selected venue for the Champions League final, while Gdansk in Poland was set to host the Europa League showdown. Both venues are now due to hold the corresponding fixtures next year.
The last time a European final was held in Germany was in 2012, when Bayern Munich dramatically lost to Chelsea on penalties at home.
rc/mds (afp/reuters)