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What to Know About the 2026 Champions League Final

Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
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What to Know About the 2026 Champions League Final

Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL
Fans of Arsenal cheer during the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. EPA/NEIL HALL

Arsenal became the first team to book its place in the 2026 Champions League final by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will join the Premier League club in the showpiece at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary this month.

Defending champion PSG leads Bayern 5-4 after a thrilling first leg in Paris.

The second leg is on Wednesday in Munich.

Here's what to know about the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final and what time is the kick off? This year's final will be staged in Budapest on May 30. Kick off time has been brought forward to 1800 CET, having traditionally been played 2100 CET. Governing body UEFA said the decision for an earlier kick off was to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics such as public transport.

Who is headlining the pre-match show? Rock band the Killers will be performing on the night. In recent years Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined.

Arsenal is in the final for the first time since 2006. It is only its second time in the final and it has never won European club soccer's top competition, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.

Mikel Arteta's team was beaten in last year's semifinals by eventual champion PSG.

PSG is aiming to become only the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles, having lifted the trophy for the first time last year.

Since the tournament was rebranded as the Champions League in the 1992-93 campaign only Real Madrid has retained the title, winning three times in succession from 2016-18.

Bayern has won the Champions League or European Cup on six occasions — most recently in 2020. Victory this year would see it equal AC Milan's total of seven titles to make the German giant the joint second most successful team in the competition's history behind Madrid, which is a 15-time winner.

About the Puskas Arena The 67,000-seater stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon, who won three European Cups as a player.

Recent winners 2025 PSG
2024 Real Madrid
2023 Manchester City
2022 Real Madrid
2021 Chelsea
Most Champions League/European Cup wins 15 Real Madrid
7 AC Milan
6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool
5 Barcelona
4 Ajax
3 Manchester United, Inter Milan

Where is the 2026-27 Champions League final? The 2027 final will be staged at Atletico Madrid's stadium the Estadio Metropolitano. It is the second time it has held the final, having staged the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham.

The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.

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Sports

Kostyuk Withdraws from Italian Open with Physical Issues after Titles in Madrid, Rouen

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine poses with the trophy after winning her women's singles finals match against Mirra Andreeva of Russia at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2026. EPA/CHEMA MOYA
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine poses with the trophy after winning her women's singles finals match against Mirra Andreeva of Russia at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2026. EPA/CHEMA MOYA
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Kostyuk Withdraws from Italian Open with Physical Issues after Titles in Madrid, Rouen

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine poses with the trophy after winning her women's singles finals match against Mirra Andreeva of Russia at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2026. EPA/CHEMA MOYA
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine poses with the trophy after winning her women's singles finals match against Mirra Andreeva of Russia at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, 02 May 2026. EPA/CHEMA MOYA

Fresh off the biggest title of her career, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine withdrew from the Italian Open due to hip and ankle issues, The Associated Press reported.

Kostyuk won the Madrid Open on Saturday and is up to a career-best No. 15 in the rankings this week. Having also won another clay-court title in Rouen, France, the week before Madrid, Kostyuk is on an 11-match winning streak.

“After the best stretch of my career, I was looking forward to Rome. But sometimes your body has other plans, and over the past few days I’ve been dealing with a hip issue. With my ankle still not fully at 100%, it’s just not smart to keep pushing right now, so I won’t be competing there this year,” Kostyuk posted on Instagram on Tuesday as the tournament in Rome began.

“Now it’s time to recover and get ready for Paris,” Kostyuk said, referring to the French Open, which starts May 24.

Sports

Infantino Defends World Cup Ticket Prices

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
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Infantino Defends World Cup Ticket Prices

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football's global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value.

FIFA has faced searing criticism over the cost of World Cup tickets, with fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) branding the pricing structure "extortionate" and a "monumental betrayal".

FSE filed a lawsuit with the European Commission in March targeting FIFA over "excessive ticket prices" for the tournament.

FIFA's own World Cup resale website, FIFA Marketplace, last week advertised four tickets to the July 19 final in New York at a cost of more than $2 million each.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Infantino said the eye-watering prices reflected demand to watch the World Cup.

"If some people put on the resale market, some tickets for the final at $2 million, number one it doesn't mean that the tickets cost $2 million," AFP quoted Infantino as saying.

"And number two it doesn't mean that somebody will buy these tickets," Infantino said. "And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience."

Fan groups have contrasted the difference in price of tickets for this summer with the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

The most expensive ticket for the final in 2022 was around $1,600 at face value, while in 2026 the most expensive ticket for the final is about $11,000 at its original price.

Infantino was adamant that the steep increase in face-value prices were justified.

"We have to look at the market -- we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates," Infantino said.

"In the US it is permitted to resell tickets as well. So if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.

"And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double of our price."

Infantino said that FIFA received in excess of 500 million ticket requests for 2026, compared with fewer than 50 million combined for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The FIFA leader added that 25 percent of tickets for the group phase were priced at under $300.

"You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300," Infantino said. "And this is the World Cup."

Sports

Atletico Madrid's Simeone Proud and 'Peaceful' after Champions League Hopes Dashed Yet Again

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone applauds fans after the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. Arsenal won 1-0. EPA/NEIL HALL
Atletico head coach Diego Simeone applauds fans after the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. Arsenal won 1-0. EPA/NEIL HALL
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Atletico Madrid's Simeone Proud and 'Peaceful' after Champions League Hopes Dashed Yet Again

Atletico head coach Diego Simeone applauds fans after the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. Arsenal won 1-0. EPA/NEIL HALL
Atletico head coach Diego Simeone applauds fans after the UEFA Champions League semi-finals 2nd leg match Arsenal FC against Atletico de Madrid, in London, Britain, 05 May 2026. Arsenal won 1-0. EPA/NEIL HALL

After yet another Champions League elimination, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone rallied with his players in front of the team's fans. He yelled, pumped his fists and applauded as the Atletico fans chanted support despite a 1-0 semifinal loss to Arsenal that ended the team's hopes of winning the European competition for the first time.

There was no desperation, no anguish, no extreme sadness. Simeone was at peace, proud of how far Atletico made it.

“No one expected that we would be here,” The Associated Press quoted Simeone as saying. “We competed with a team that had so much strength and power. We gave it our all and now we have to accept the place that we're in. I’m grateful to our supporters and our players. I feel proud to be where I am right now.”

Simeone wasn't even complaining with the refereeing despite two penalty calls that didn't go Atletico's way in the second half.

“If we got knocked out, it’s because our opponents deserved to get through,” Simeone said. “If you ask me how I feel, I feel calm and peaceful. The team gave absolutely everything.”

Atletico, the third power in Spanish soccer behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, was playing in the Champions League semifinals for the first time in a decade — since it lost the final to rival Madrid in 2016.

It was the only Spanish team to reach the last four of the European tournament this season, eliminating five-time champion Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

Atletico ended the season without lifting a trophy after not reaching the final in the Spanish Super Cup, losing the final of the Copa del Rey to Real Sociedad, and struggling in the Spanish league, where it sits in fourth place, 25 points behind leader Barcelona with four games remaining.

“There were high hopes for us in the Copa and in the Champions League,” Atletico midfielder Koke Resurrección said. “We were not consistent in the league, we were not at the level we should have been. But we lost the Copa in a penalty shootout and in the Champions League we were this close to advancing.”

“This group has been improving a lot and we have very young players who certainly will help this team fight for many great things in the near future,” added the 34-year-old Koke, whose future with Atletico remained unclear.

The loss to Arsenal likely put an end to Antoine Griezmann's hopes of adding a Champions League title to his career achievements. The France forward is joining MLS club Orlando City after the season.

The 35-year-old Griezmann missed a penalty kick in the 2016 Champions League final that Atletico lost to Real Madrid.

“He has been an amazing player,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak said. “We are sad not just for him but for all the fans of Atleti, too. Everyone was looking for this final but we didn’t reach it, so it’s a difficult moment.”

Simeone praised both Griezmann and Koke after the loss.

“We competed well with Barcelona in the quarterfinal, and in the semifinal against Arsenal. We have done incredibly well, and that’s down to the hard work by players, including Antoine Griezmann,” the coach said. “I hope the fans appreciated what we’ve done in the last few games. Koke was incredible, he’s a real master, he shows leadership and talent despite his age.”