Champions League Final Location History

• Wembley has hosted the most Champions League finals

• 10 different stadia have hosted the final at least three times

• Read below for a list of Champions League final locations and more

The aim of every team featuring in Champions League betting odds is to reach the final. Such aspirations are more realistic for some than others, of course, and the road to the final begins long before the high-profile group stage fixtures.

For the biggest clubs, all focus is on taking part in club football’s biggest fixture. Hosting the Champions League final is an honour for any stadium and city.

The Champions League final is one of the biggest yearly betting events. Hundreds of millions watch the match from all over the world.

It’s a fixture where careers are made and legacies can be tarnished – the lights don’t get brighter than this. Let’s learn about more about the history of Champions League final host cities.

How are Champions League host cities chosen?

Much like the Super Bowl, Champions League final host cities are planned out years in advance.

Teams not only know the city they’re aiming for at the end of the upcoming Champions League campaign – they will also be aware of the Champions League final locations for three of four years afterwards.

Stadia are only eligible to host a Champions League final if they class as a Category 4 Stadium under UEFA’s Stadium Infrastructure Regulations.

In simpler terms, this is about sufficient capacity, room for media members and floodlight standards. There are lots of boxes that need to be checked for a stadium to even meet the minimum requirements in all sorts of categories.

Importantly, though, being a Category 4 isn’t sufficient to be considered. Since 2007, UEFA has generally aimed for finals to be played in arenas with a capacity of at least 70,000.

Of course, this hasn’t always been feasible, with Estádio do Dragão (capacity of 50,000) hosting the 2021 final, but unsurprisingly UEFA wants its showpiece fixture played in a ground with a sizeable capacity.

Football isn’t exactly famed for its transparency. There is no list we can scroll through of Category 4 stadia, though it has been reported that only half of the stadiums that meet the initial criteria are considered for Champions League finals.

The actual process for picking a stadium is similarly unclear. The UEFA Executive Committee Meetings are conducted every few months to tackle many issues around European football.

One thing that falls under their jurisdiction is deciding on Champions League final locations years in advance. This committee is elected by the UEFA Congress, and contains 20 members with no more than one per country.

Most Champions League Finals Hosted

Wembley has hosted the most Champions League finals with eight, most recently hosting the European showpiece fixture in 2024. Of course, these have been split across the old and new Wembley, with three finals (2011, 2013 and 2024) being played under the arch.

Hampden Park, another British stadium, is one of 10 stadia to have hosted three of more Champions League finals. It was also the venue for one of the best Champions League final goals courtesy of Zinedine Zidane in 2002.

Five stadia have hosted the biggest fixture in Champions League predictions four or more times, including Wembley (seven) and Heysel Stadium (five).

The Santiago Bernabeu, San Siro and Stadio Olimpico have hosted four Champions League finals apiece – none of this triumvirate are scheduled to host a final in the coming years.

Champions League Final Host Cities

• 1956 – Parc des Princes, Paris

• 1957 – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

• 1958 – Heysel Stadium, Brussels

• 1959 – Neckarstadion, Stuttgart

• 1960 – Hampden Park, Glasgow

• 1961 – Wankdorf Stadium, Bern

• 1962 – Olympisch Stadium, Amsterdam

• 1963 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 1964 – Praterstadion, Vienna

• 1965 – San Siro, Milan

• 1966 – Heysel Stadium, Brussels

• 1967 – Estadio Nacional, Lisbon

• 1968 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 1969 – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

• 1970 – San Siro, Milan

• 1971 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 1972 – De Kuip, Rotterdam

• 1973 – Red Star Stadium, Belgrade

• 1974 – Heysel Stadium, Brussels

• 1975 – Parc des Princes, Paris

• 1976 – Hampden Park, Glasgow

• 1977 – Stadio Olimpico , Rome

• 1978 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 1979 – Olympiastadion, Munich

• 1980 – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

• 1981 – Parc des Princes

• 1982 – De Kuip, Rotterdam

• 1983 – Olympic Stadium, Athens

• 1984 – Stadio Olimpico, Rome

• 1985 – Heysel Stadium, Brussels

• 1986 - Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville

• 1987 – Praterstadion, Vienna

• 1988 – Neckarstadion, Stuttgart

• 1989 – Camp Nou, Barcelona

• 1990 – Praterstadion, Vienna

• 1991 – Stadio San Nicola, Bari

• 1992 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 1993 – Olympiastadion, Munich

• 1994 – Olympic Stadium, Athens

• 1995 – Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

• 1996 – Stadio Olimpico, Rome

• 1997 – Olympiastadion, Munich

• 1998 – Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam

• 1999 – Camp Nou, Barcelona

• 2000 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• 2001 – San Siro, Milan

• 2002 – Hampden Park, Glasgow

• 2003 – Old Trafford, Manchester

• 2004 – Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen

• 2005 - Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul

• 2006 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• 2007 – Olympic Stadium, Athens

• 2008 – Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

• 2009 – Stadio Olimpico, Rome

• 2010 – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

• 2011 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 2012 – Allianz Arena, Munich

• 2013 – Wembley Stadium, London

• 2014 – Estadio da Luz, Lisbon

• 2015 – Olympiastadion, Berlin

• 2016 – San Siro, Milan

• 2017 – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

• 2018 – NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv

• 2019 – Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid

• 2020 – Estadio da Luz, Lisbon

• 2021 - Estádio do Dragão, Porto

• 2022 - Stade de France, Saint-Denis

• 2023 - Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul

• 2024 - Wembley Stadium, London

• 2025 - Allianz Arena, Munich

*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*