Cardiff’s Millennium stadium will be hosting the 2017, UEFA, Champions League final.
The 74,500 capacity stadium, which has previously hosted prestigious events, such as the 2014 UEFA Super cup, the English FA Cup final, community shield, and some football matches at the London 2012 Olympic games, was confirmed as host by European football governing body UEFA.
Following the announcement Welsh star Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey expressed their excitement at the announcement and said that the presence of the Champions League final in Cardiff will surely increase the stock of the Welsh game.
Bale said, “These are exciting times for Welsh football, it feels like the whole country is behind us as we attempt to reach next year’s UEFA Euro 2016 finals in France.”
“I know how passionate the Welsh football fans are so it’s great the UEFA Champions League final is coming to my home city of Cardiff. I loved playing in the UEFA Super Cup last year and it would be fantastic to be involved in front of a packed crowd at such an iconic stadium in 2017.” The Real Madrid winger added
While Arsenal midfielder, Aaron Ramsey tweeted, “What a season it has been for Wales and Welsh football, What with last year’s Super Cup, the unforgettable support and atmosphere at our recent match against Belgium, Wales topping their Euro 2016 qualifying group and now this wonderful news.”
The final will take place on Saturday, 3 June while the Women’s Champions League will be held two days earlier at the Cardiff City Stadium. The governing body also announced that the 2016-17 Europa League final would be held at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, while the National Arena Filip II in Skopje, Macedonia, will hold the 2017 UEFA Super Cup final.