Could the Champions League be played outside Europe?

[@vecterpls]

The Champions League final is already one of the most watched sporting events in the world and the knockout stages provide countless classics in its current group stage / knockout round format, Al Khelaifi, Ceferin and UEFA all wanting to change the venues of matches outside of Europe and changing the current format reeks of them wanting to make easy money without actually taking the time to sit down and think about what could actually make the competition better.

[@mjokkerr4150]

you're being too naive. If you were in 1991, would you be against group stage too, because people want 'easy money'?

[@tahmidhossain9921]

Football always has been peoples game. One of the main reasons people enjoy it or wants to peruse a career in football is because of the accessibility. Now if my local club made it to the champions league knock out stages I would be delighted to travel else where in Europe to watch the match. Per say now the matches are held in the states or China from now on then it will become a competition that only becomes available to the wealthy. They have the World Cup and other international tournaments which they are on the process of working on which has that appeal already. I do understand it’s not just my local areas club as it has become more global and don’t want to take anything away from that but I feel like that abroad many of the supporters tend to support bigger clubs and have a lesser of appeal to other less known ones. So I would think it’s much easier for the competition to be held in Europe. Not to mention how problematic it would be from a footballers perspective. They already have cramped schedules and having to travel long distances just to play matches in the middle of the week doesn’t sound healthy.

[@hypn07ical]

@@mjokkerr4150 Adding a groupstage or generally tweaking the format to be more competitve is not the same as “hey lets play matches away from the fans because we can overcharge people overseas”. stop being an idiot

[@danielrogers3070]

​@@mjokkerr4150 I'd still prefer just knockouts, group stages are generally boring irrespective of the sports

[@rezwannavid2458]

@@tahmidhossain9921 But people living in China doesn't have access to top flight football to watch, now a lot of common non-wealthy Chinese people can watch the biggest sporting event, hence people's game. I'm not supporting the idea, but this argument doesn't hold.

[@santouras]

It's important to remember that many US sports are franchise based, and as such their owners are more than happy to move location if they get a better offer from another city. In understanding this, it is easier to see why NFL/NBA can more easily play regular season games outside of the US. Football is not, at least in Europe, franchise based. Therefore leagues and clubs take on flavours and distinctiveness of their location. This will attract different international supporters to different clubs, and also makes it harder to travel with the sport. As an Australian that madly follows an Italian Serie A team, I am horrified at the thought of my team playing a regular season game outside of Italy/Europe. The atmosphere just would not be there.

[@julianj4571]

Additionally the Bulls-Pistons game mentioned featured a mediocre team and a godawful one, it's basically the equivalent of Everton playing against some team from the championship it's not like we sent Paris some marquee matchup lol. Anyways, I would hate for the local fans that built up these teams to be deprived of being able to watch some Champions league game, I feel like a good compromise is maybe designating a "International Fans" section of seating where those tickets are to be only sold to out of country fans? You still get to grow the fanbase internationally without angering the locals as much.

[@Khaoki]

This would be the equivalent of a North American league playing their playoff games or series overseas. Fans would revolt if that happened

[@Alphoric]

Yh it’s like could you imagine if Man U suddenly became Liverpool United because they got more in broadcast money it just wouldn’t happen yet in the us teams can suddenly represent a different place it’s just weird

[@zachstolpa6521]

I mean yeah franchises move but fans of the team from there aren’t typically happy it’s happening. Look at how the Cleveland brown’s initially left Cleveland in the 90’s or what’s happening with the Oakland A’s rn or what already happened with the raiders.

[@archipiratta]

​@@julianj4571 it's no different to the NFL playing games in Germany or England. It's probably the model that European football is looking at/lusting over

[@Nahanoo]

Literally no how is that feasible? Every game outside the final is either home or away and the final would have to be played in a European country as it would kinda defeat the whole purpose and render the name UEFA useless if the champions of Europe didn’t grand the trophy on European soil

[@christianround2774]

The copa del rey and coppa Italia finals are already played in Saudi. Can see champions league finals being played in the gulf or the USA.

[@carnifex2005]

It would be feasible by making the semis and finals played in the same city like they did during Covid in Portugal. In fact, UEFA loved how that turned out and has mentioned wanting to have a "Super Bowl" like event where the semis are played on Saturday/Sunday and the finals played the next Sunday in the same city.

[@bingus6952]

​​@@christianround2774 the copa del rey and coppa italia are competitions from their respective nations. A UCL is a competition that is played by clubs all over Europe

[@magivkmeister6166]

@@carnifex2005 The very idea of a European Super Bowl makes me sick. And I like watching the Super Bowl and the UCL.

[@DerekPaksa]

@@christianround2774 Saudi club already in asia champion league. Last champion is from Saudi if Im not wrong.

[@siddharthrox]

Makes perfect sense. Play Brighton on a Saturday. Fly all the way to LA from Manchester to play Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday. Return to play Liverpool on a Saturday at 11.30. Just a brilliant idea. Makes perfect sense..... for Al-Khelaifi's club. This might give them some chance of winning the UCL. Because they have Brest and Angers at the weekend. Others have to play clubs like Napoli, Atletico, Liverpool, Leipzig in their respective leagues.

[@henriqueneves5582]

Only the final is in discussion

[@DominatesYT]

I love it how they talk about bringing football closer to the fans and how do fans across the world have the same right to watch their team as the local fans, but no one mentions Africa, only Asia, Middle East and North America... Sure they care about the fans, right?

[@96wtfomg]

When talking about Middle East only the rich countries my friend. Qatar, UAE, Arabia... I assure you no one is trying to bring "Football to the fans" in Syria, Lebanon, Irak, Jordan... So yeah, football is only for the rich fans.

[@Sir_Rowland]

@@96wtfomg 😅

[@ekzxty]

Do Africa have the facilities to host champions league games

[@zachstolpa6521]

If you think owners care about fan atmosphere you’re sorely mistaken. In all sports as longs as people show up the owners don’t care what they do. Example: in baseball when old yankee stadium was under debate an argument against doing anything to it was how it contributed to fan atmosphere but the money people obviously had their argument about stadium amenities and guess which side won out.

[@theportugueselegend]

@@ekzxty More than you think. There's literally abandoned stadiums in South Africa from 2010 that can host any UCL game.Also, a lot of countries have big stadiums reaching 60 thousand capacity because some of them have a lot of population. Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Egypt and a lot more have stadiums and organizations more than capable of hosting a least an UCL match

[@twenty-2923]

As someone who lives in the states I would love to see a UCL game once in my life, but for the sake of the game of football I think I would be the worst decision to playing a European competition out side of Europe. That would be the worst thing that Fifa / UEFA can do

[@NostalgiNorden]

Off course a corrupt Real supporter loves it...

[@wermslof3067]

​@@NostalgiNorden I dont think you read the whole comment.

[@bingus6952]

​@@NostalgiNorden did you even read the whole thing???

[@Woot007]

@@NostalgiNorden Lol you just look silly with that comment try reading it again?

[@jackandyaron6186]

If they kicked a baby it would be worse i think

[@benedictjephcote6815]

Tifo: ".. for good reasons" Most of us: "Let us guess, .. money ?" Tifo: "... new revenue streams ..." What a knock-down surprise that was Tifo/Sky etc may as well be the Financial Times most of the time

[@NIDELLANEUM]

I mean, Tifo *always* looks at the economic side of football. They once made a video titled "History of the Premier League", and it pretty much was on how Premier League clubs earned the money they've had during those 30 years

[@zachstolpa6521]

Looks like your anger is directed more at the messenger in this instance than who’s actually doing this.

[@NIDELLANEUM]

@@zachstolpa6521 in Italy we have a saying, "the messenger does not bring pain"

[@benedictjephcote6815]

@@zachstolpa6521 Is anyone angry at Tifo here? [Possibly there was a comment removed by someone somewhere, that I may have missed?] It is a 'sign of the times' when so much of the communication around the direction of football ends up rotating around money. I think a fair few folks have quite a bit of dismay over this side of things. Which seems fair enough.

[@zachstolpa6521]

@@benedictjephcote6815 completely understandable but it should also be pointed out it’s pretty much the X factor in how rosters go season to season which is just the reality which we should more look at who’s responsible for that (the owners) but I get how tired some can get when money gets repetitively brought up.

[@NostalgiNorden]

When you say "For good reason" you actually mean "For awful and corrupt reasons"?

[@joost0133]

Make it way more expensive for the core fans to support their team. Classic UEFA money move.

[@___________________.]

“Core fans” is such an elitist attitude. Being from London or Madrid doesn’t make you a “better” fan than someone from Tokyo or Sydney

[@___________________.]

@@Wert7344 believe it or not it’s possible to do both

[@maherhamadouch2005]

UEFA Champions League, UEFA meaning "Union of European Football Associations" by which they point to Europe, not America, not Asia, not Africa. Keep the Champions League where it is supposed to be, not elsewhere.

[@randommage1]

There are already UCL games in Asia, like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, they just happen to also be in UEFA

[@maherhamadouch2005]

@@randommage1 ok but they at least border Europe, they're not a million miles away

[@blackfalcon1324]

@@randommage1 A country choosing which confrence they want to belong to, especially when there are multiple they could be in based on geographical and cultural identity, is different than a country belonging to one conference hosting the champions league games of a different conference. Take russia, they are in uefa, thus they shouldnt host AFC (asian) champions league matches. They also have a legitimate claim to be a part of the AFC. If they chose to do that, then they can no longer host UEFA matches.

[@randommage1]

@@blackfalcon1324 so if Morocco, Saudi, or UAE wanted to join UEFA in order to host, youd be okay with that? i dont have a strong opinion one way or another, just find it interesting that for example FC Astana can host UCL matches when they are as far east as Mumbai, India where as Dubai or Marrakesh cannot when they are even closer to mainland Europe. Or even technically French overseas territories can qualify for UCL but not a country that is thousands of miles closer. you dont find that interesting at the very least?

[@blackfalcon1324]

@@randommage1Are morocco, saudi or UAE geographically or culturally european? The non european countries that are in UEFA are former members of the USSR, which was part of europe, and Isreal, which is much similar to europe than its neighbors, and competes in competitions like eurovision already.

[@finlaywalker4315]

Jesus why change something that isn't broken, all about money the great game is slowly dying RIP Football

[@leemc5646]

No one was really interested in the World Cup when that was launched but FIFA soon latched onto brand Pele and now look it's massive

[@ashwinpurohit6058]

Ofcourse it can, nowadays there's this thing... Money, and as it seems uefa is very hungry

[@samizayn5666]

It is crazy how much money they want. I always thought that people are greedy according to their needs but it looks like the more you get, the more you want.

[@ashwinpurohit6058]

​@@samizayn5666 more you get, more you need, more you greed, and more you're alone in life

[@n7n753]

it’s horrible idea playing outside Europe because we would miss home matches atmosphere for each team which brings the enthusiasm specially for small teams who rely on their own field to reduce the gap with big teams

[@anshumankonar877]

so they are basically turning champions league into super league to prevent the super league

[@ekzxty]

No, what an awful take Anshuman Konar.

[@jordanmince7613]

​@@ekzxty why is it ?

[@sunrae3971]

1) More money only increases the stupid Transfer fees spiral. 2) Europeans pay the highest prices, right now they rather subsidizing the "global audience". Example for watching bundesliga in Germany you need 2 subscription together 50€ a month. While in the US its only 12$ a month.

[@blackfalcon1324]

Haha. I can watch the premier league included in my $4.99 a month subscription. In the UK its like 100 a month.

[@Mrrubbe]

@@blackfalcon1324get out support your local England doesn’t want you

[@blackfalcon1324]

@@Mrrubbe ???

[@frankieryan1094]

Football clubs are representitives of their local community, not the globe, and while fans from Asia, the Middle East, North America etc. are very welcome to support european clubs they should be the last consideration on where these clubs play and have no right to see them live at all. European football has been built by local fans over the last 140+ years and is the most successful clubs wouldn't be around without their local communities so why should clubs like Arsenal put American, Chinese or Arabian intrests before local fans? If they want to watch these clubs they should either travell to the country of the team in question. The 2018 Copa Libertadores final was moved from Buenos Aries to Madrid and that was wrong, fans shouldn't have to pay thousands of pounds or euros travelling to watch their clubs play on another continent and if they want to open into new markets they should reform global competitions such as the Club World Cup, invest in grassroots football in these countries and develop their domestic leagues by affiliating with local clubs instead of relying continental competitions like the Champions League to boost revenue and attract new fans.

[@yusaidit5311]

I'm an international Arsenal fan, and I agree. If anything the comment 3:38 is rather insulting to the Islington locals to suggest us lot on the other side of the global should be prioritized lol

[@dionysise5008]

Community is global but our soul is in Europe. Don't rip it apart

[@leemc5646]

They've turned these teams into brands, to sell to the masses indoctrinating people who would have no interest in football usually.

[@Nextraker]

They should at least bring the club World Cup to the western hemisphere

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

Indeed, enough with the China nonsense as they seem to want every other competition to be played there as they think they can explode the market. Maybe no more competitions in countries with concentration camps. The club world club can achieve the spreading of competitive club football by actually being shared properly instead of making it another cash cow by taking bribes to put it in strange spots.

[@ryan_alexander]

Next one's in NA, so you have that

[@elliotboro98]

Well yeah, that's fine cos that's a FIFA competition but UEFA competitions should only be played in UEFA Nations

[@robbysfootyfocus]

I would dare uefa to play a champions league match outside of Europe. The streets would riot within hours of an official confirmed announcement if this was to ever happen

[@berradaleonardo5417]

​@The LIM Report what

[@areebsiddiqui758]

@The LIM Report Those countries are a part of UEFA and geographically right next to Europe anyway. Not the same thing.

[@nunodasilva5449]

The problem is that us Europeans became so decadent that we accept anything. If they did that, Europeans should stop watching the Champions League.

[@magivkmeister6166]

@The LIM Report Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are both (partially) within Europe geographically speaking. So that argument isn't accurate

[@killercaos123]

Don’t forget about Israel 🇮🇱

[@sirivia7208]

We should be encouraging these international fans to start their own local clubs instead. Not saying international fandom shouldn't exist, but football is about local community, struggle and the proceeding triumph. Not winning, money or popularity.

[@leemc5646]

Football shouldn't be exclusive to 2-3 leagues in Europe with FIFA and UEFA and the big teams owners trying to make as much money as possible, trying to make out they are spreading football worldwide for good reasons when it's all financial. All countries should have good enough leagues to compete and have their own fan base. They have to make their own history stop being indoctrinated by these money men who want to sell a product.

[@killercaos123]

I can in the distant future see the final being converted to a foreign one. Imagine the UCL final being played in Azteca in Mexico DF. Or what about a final in the Maracana in Brazil? If they were to do it they would start with a test run and then go from there

[@notKevinFeige]

Hahahahaha. NO. They won't go nowhere near poor countries, only those who will give them money

[@risunamashaba2060]

As an African, i want the champions league to remain as it is Same group stage to knockout format Same how and way fixtures until the final Same qualifications routes Instead of trying to chop and change things around for the sake of money, UEFA should actually put effort and funds into their marketing Instead of their pockets

[@pauldimmick6288]

I don't understand the point that local fans only being able to attend competitive matches being described as "arrogant"? I think ignoring local communities and formed and supported these clubs for a 100+ years is arrogant. Nobody in Europe want a franchised model like in the USA. This is absolutely a step in that direction. I think a push to make the sport more even would increase the attractiveness to new markets. The big selling point of the Premier League is that it is in the round quite even. I know sky sports like to suggest that Chelsea, Liverpool are under performing but could it just be that there are a number of good teams? Anybody can beat anyone and that's why people love it. Wolves v Chelsea - worth watching because who knows what can happen. A similar fixture in other major leagues don't have that level of uncertainty/intrigue.

[@AyoSosanya]

The issue with moving games outside of Europe is that there’s only one neutral game in the competition which is the final. Unless they want to switch the semis and quarters to neutral one leg events then that can’t work without robbing the home fans

[@tf-ok]

Could the human soul be monetized? Yes, yes you can.

[@siphemanana2551]

Is that a Phineas and Ferb reference?

[@MoanTheCelts]

I wish us fans could see through this. They treat us like customers, act like customers then if we’re not happy, and watch do something else. I’ve stopped watching the group stage and watch the odd knock game unless my team plays. 7-8 years ago I watched group stage or BTs goals show if their wasn’t a game I really wanted to see. And barely missed a knockout game

[@failuretolaunch4571]

As a fan who used to live in Asia prior to relocating to Europe, one of the simpler compromises could be changing the start times of matches. Champions league matches regularly start at 9 pm CEST. It means that Chinese fans wake up at 4am, Thai fans at 3am and Indonesian at a mix of the 2. Japanese fans wake up at 5am and Indian fans need to not sleep till 1.30 am. There is no one correct time to start matches, perhaps the clubs can decide that they want to maybe have a match which would be helpful to the Chinese audience, or one that is okay for Indian audience. Maybe that would be better than moving matches to China or India. The prices for the tickets will be jacked up and the only people who could attend would be middle aged execs and vip ticket holders from completions, not organic fans.

[@TheRadPlayer]

Perhaps you might have realized it's a product by Europe largely FOR Europe. You even being able to catch the games abroad is a massive privelige we afford you.

[@failuretolaunch4571]

@@TheRadPlayer I don't think so it's a privilege mate. The overseas broadcast revenue is massive. Clubs are making money from these places, sometimes at par with European broadcast revenue. I am not for moving the competition, but if they want more money from these markets, it's easier to shift broadcast times as opposed to moving the competition itself. Also if the champions league final were to be played in China, it would probably start at 7 pm, which means European audience would have to watch the final at around 12 pm. It would be a worse experience for all involved.

[@ekzxty]

@@failuretolaunch4571 the premier league clubs make nothing from the overseas plastics. They get guaranteed broadcast money from the premier league. The premier league gets 2 billion pounds per season from sky sports. Sky sports already has this ridiculous money because of how big the brand is. Technically sky sports profit, but the premier league clubs don’t. Even if sky sports made 4 billion from people watching the EPL, the epl would still get 2 billion.

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

@@ekzxty Idk about other countries but I think the US kicks in almost half a billion per season now for the rights. How about the asian countries just record the games while they sleep and don't check their phones until they watch the match? That's what I've had to do when tournaments have been far flung, or the early prem games. Why should European teams do bad times for their fans (or move the game physically) just for the chance that people bother to watch in other countries?

[@ekzxty]

@@thisIsFunnyLolz completely agree pal. All I was saying was the premier league clubs don’t make a cent from foreign fans unless they’re buying merchandise or tickets to the games.

[@sdes2841]

Already is outside of Europe, could conceivably have a Champions League final of Maccabi Haifa vs FC Astana hosted in Baku.

[@nadeem118]

I'm feeling a change in the tone by the athletic when talking about such major changes to football. I guess they realize it's inevitable and decided to avoid being the "angry" source of media in the new era.

[@mikevenardi7869]

As a fan in the US, I would love being able to see any major European leagues close to home. However, I understand the importance of tradition and think it would be really unfair for Europeans to be deprived of their home sport at the biggest stages. I don’t follow any US sports but could imagine I wouldn’t be happy if I wasn’t able to attend one of my team’s biggest games because it got moved to Europe for marketing exposure. I’m curious how this could also affect the growth of the MLS, but I think making it easier and less expensive to watch big games live (not necessarily in person) is going to be really important for the future growth of soccer (or football) in the US.

[@thisIsFunnyLolz]

In another episode of "how can we milk the sport dry like corporate vampires", the greedy businessmen seek to remove elements of the local culture of clubs to make a dollar by pretending to want the best for audiences abroad and thinking that Liverpool shouldn't only play in Liverpool to be "fair". I don't live in the UK and love the PL but this would be horrendous. Bringing a bunch of games outside of a club's natural borders also has the potential to harm tourism as watching football live is the only reason I travel to the UK at all. How the heck is it "fair" for a game that is between two European teams to be played in China or some other far flung nation that ruins the scheduling? They are so transparent in their greed it's amazing.

[@jamesmichaels4979]

This title made,me rage. If the champions league leaves eufa, there will car b*mbings of the decion makers for stealing our game

[@rasto62]

The only reason is money. Arsenal fans in North London do have more of a right to view their team live; it's their team! This idea that it's about democratisation of the game is something the people benefiting from this move have invented to make it an easier sell. I mean yes, fans in the Middle East would appreciate watching Arsenal play live in their local area, but that's not what football is, man. Local teams with many having a history dating back more than a hundred years. It's not about winning, it's about the emotional ties to the city and the club and the people.

[@Cespar997]

The higher-ups don't understand the essence of Football do they.

[@leemc5646]

Buisness men it's just a job for them

[@ryansvoboda895]

Absolutely disgraceful if ANY European competition is to be played outside of Europe. There’s ‘fans’ from outside of Europe should support and help grow their own leagues.

[@randommage1]

It’s interesting to note that non-European can and have hosted UCL matches before, like teams in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. theoretically French overseas territories and far eastern Russian clubs as well.

[@matthijslenaerts9423]

Because they're part of UEFA. UEFA countries can host an UEFA competition, shocker. If that's too complex to understand, let's just agree that this conversation is too high-level.

[@793Rich]

I can see them starting with the Finals first and work backwards from there

[@sammy0boi]

Bottom line here: it’s all about money and greed. You think about the money that’s already being generated and what some players are paid and all these people can think about is making more 😂

[@AW-1909]

Support your local club 👍

[@ezraezra2928]

It would be a crazy if we can see Real Madrid vs Barcelona in Jakarta, Indonesia. The problem is if the Champions League will be played outside Europe, Indonesian football might had no chance to stage it, especially after what happened recently when the U-20 World Cup was cancelled due to the Israel's boycotts (though we didn't got suspended by FIFA entirety relating to the boycotts).

[@sequoia689]

Yes it could if money was all UEFA cares about.

[@henryeghaghara9385]

Its just money, football is a global sports....some of you in Europe think football starts and end in Europe

[@Collisco7]

​@@henryeghaghara9385 But it is a European event. Which should be held in a European counrry

[@DeoVindice999]

@@henryeghaghara9385 Attend games of your local club if you wish to see matches in real life. European clubs should play in their own countries. Matches have already become incredibly expensive for the average local fan, and fans abroad can either come watch a game here or wait for their favourite team to play some friendlies in their country if they're that desperate to watch them in person. And this is coming from a United fan who doesn't live in the United Kingdom.

[@sequoia689]

Playing UEFA matches on other continents may affect the revenues of those other leagues. It already does just by being the best. No need to make it worse by taking it to their backyard to choke them even more.

[@senorpython2262]

I am an American who loves Association Football but the UCL would not feel special here since we have so much sports league championships.

[@CatchMeUp]

Surely the ideal thing to do is to set up the Euro SuperLeague in cashed-up non-Euro nations, then banish all the clubs that compete in it into (presumably) AFC competitions forever. We'd all be better off without the supposed super-clubs.

[@CatchMeUp]

Hello to every single global fan of big Euro clubs - maybe try watching your local club first?

[@SD_BRFC1997]

@@CatchMeUp they should but they won’t as they’d rather watch a foreign team instead of supporting local

[@isaacfung622]

Money should not be earned like that for players' sake

[@abfnjewbgalr]

feels like playing it in the USA ahead of the 2026 World Cup could be a move. i would love this as an American, but if i were European i would detest it.. sort of how a lot of Americans hate the NFL playing in Europe every year.

[@raketensven3127]

Funny thing is, that they're saying amarican football is on the rise in europe for 20 years+ and biggest clubs here are still semi-professional. If american football was gone for good in europe tomorrow, nobody would care.

[@abfnjewbgalr]

@@raketensven3127 yeah it's always been weird to me that the NFL would think it could catch on internationally. obviously, as an American i love it, but if i were someone being introduce to it for the first time who was used to soccer i probably wouldn't like it. too much downtime, it's insanely violent, and has way too many obscure rules.

[@aleksandartadic9]

No, UCL is European competition and must play in Europe. If Arabian richmen want UCL in Asia, then let them come in Europe to watch. Dont destroy european sport, stop americanism and arabism of european sports!!!

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

Shocking idea, all the matches would just go to soulless oil countries and take matches away from actual local fans

[@Kiitman]

Racism coming out ehh. He never said anything about hosting it in a gulf country

[@generalpierogi7781]

@@Kiitman yeah but who would have the money to buy these games genius?

[@leemc5646]

Racism more like reality punk

[@David-wn9hs]

Don't see the point of this because the other countries have their own kinda champion league like the Afc champion league and copa libertadores. The reason why uefa is doing this is because they want to double their pockets

[@Ascalonn88]

What about the fans from the actual city of the club? You know, the ones that actually paid the money in order for the club to become "international phenomenon". They were fans for almost their whole life. I guess.... f. them, right?

[@fishyfish6510]

I think UEFA Champions League being played like in say Asia will affect the Asian competitions like the Asian Champions League and hinder their growth

[@StuieHunter]

I live in a different country to to club I support (a Manchester United fan from Ireland), and honestly I don't want these types of changes. It seems almost disrespectful to the other contingents answers to the champions league. I love learning about Manchester, and making it feel like a second home.

[@pedroferreira8623]

He says Champions League needs to evolve, but why? It's the most famous club tournament, and is massively lucrative. Saying it needs to evolve is just greedy. You could say the Club World Cup or the European Supercup need to evolve, but definitely not the Champions League. That's just greed and other personal interests talking

[@leemc5646]

They've already messed with it over the last 30 years, from it being the European cup to the rebranded Champions League from League winners only being entered to the top 3/4 teams in each league being entered. The money men will never stop they want more.

[@futurehistory2110]

I hope they keep it as it is, especially the format. Also as a fan of the League of Ireland, while unlikely, it's nice to hang on to the dream that some day an Irish team will make it to the group stages and I'm sure there are many similar leagues across Europe where fans that want dream to hold on to - that maybe we'll see our team make it to the group stages at least once in our lifetime. But removing that entirely would be fairly bleak.

[@paulwareing1859]

If big clubs start playing home games outside Europe then they should be taxed millions every time they do and that money should go to all the local businesses that have missed out on business because of the clubs financial greed. Football clubs are not just businesses, they are part of the community and a big part of local economic security. We need to be raising the standards of football clubs and competitions outside of Europe not using them as feeder clubs for European teams.

[@Rybo4]

This is how money ruins football. The idea that clubs are franchises. It's fine for fans to be global, but clubs are about the community more than global fans. It isn't about growth and revenue. It's about identity.

[@tomodachi1644]

And people still believe in "football for the people from the people" what a joke, imagine supporting something like uefa unironically

[@Scotticus25]

The European Cup, should be played in Europe. I don't see how this can be a difficult thing to understand.

[@TheJuanvegas]

The question is - why. The reason that the CL is so revered is because it is an elite European competition. The second that is diluted, it becomes something else. The comparison in this is "compare it to the NFL". The difference is, nobody else plays American football, it is a completely different culture, why all of a sudden does every consultant want to follow an American model when they already have the most popular global product the planet has ever seen?

[@Cameron-ns4oc]

everytime a football competition is said to need 'to evolve' that's just doublespeak for we increase our profits

[@ratubadis7]

I would love to see champions league outside of europe. but the fact that club play in their league, domestic cups, and european football means it just don't make sense for players to travel long distance. NFL and NBA season is not that long and jam packed. heck, NFL is less than 20 fixtures outside of playoff.

[@Deanyomac]

Bet it's just big games between the big teams that go out of Europe all the teams who would have been in the super League for more revenue and make the gap even bigger 👍 exactly what we need in football

[@filipjirava8910]

Why don't those mentioned regions with new young fandom focus on developing their own football clubs, leagues, associations, to be more competitive with the rest of the world?

[@leemc5646]

Because the few what all the money, if everyone is competing at the same level no money to make

[@dionysise5008]

It's a tournament as good as it gets and they wanna ruin it. Please don't fix whats not broken.

[@Prederick]

I can see it happening, even if I don't like it. IT's the European Cup, other confederation's cup competitions aren't played outside of their continent (the 2018 Copa Libertadoes final excluded, due to unforseen circumstances). That said, this is modern football, and money is always the big joker. Without question, there are countries willing to throw absolutely sinful amounts of money at UEFA to hold the CL final in their country. After Qatar 2022, it'd be naive, at best, to think that the people in power wouldn't follow the money and host the Champions League Final wherever they think they can make the most money.

[@Patrick61804]

I don’t see a problem with the Super Cup being played elsewhere

[@minimalist1911]

Watch on TV! Nothing is stopping an American or an African, Asian from watching the Champions League on TV in 4K resolution!

[@matthewsengendo6302]

We do

[@TheJtorres182]

The same thing can be said of European fans. If a game is far away, just watch on tv.

[@Mrrubbe]

@@TheJtorres182but it’s for Europeans not any other continent support your local

[@2000melita]

This is so fake, they mention all fans having right to watch yet only focus on the places where there's basically no football culture. Instead of places like Africa or South America cause they know they'd have to make prices affordable in those places for it to work lol

[@ZohanKhan-sg8qe]

Nice video format

[@harveyconyers4844]

Do they never think about the matchday going fans?

[@leemc5646]

Simply no they don't know you they only have one target to make as much revenue as possible.

[@ellipticalsoul]

I don't support Arsenal, but maybe the 'anonymous senior executive' should consider that their season ticket holders are paying upwards of £1000 a year on top of whatever TV services they have and maybe that's why they feel that the club belongs to them more than someone who ocassionally watches an illegal stream

[@GlodelaniaChannel]

But the Champions League isn't the World Cup.

[@prajwalp1483]

Im from India and I strongly believe it is utter nonsense to play cl matches outside their historical homes. The sport is popular due to its unique culture, and changing that for easy money is bad for its long term.

[@DabDabGoose]

This will just mean the final will be in the US, China or Saudi Arabia doesn't it?

[@hungchoonghow5857]

Not necessarily in that order but around there.

[@sarwarmsarwarco8411]

final is already one of the most watched sporting events in the world and the knockout stages provide

[@tomycont]

Imagine your family having generations of fans, just for the club to be interested in playing elsewhere.

[@jamesrowland2002]

Absolutely not never. Can’t think of anything worse.

[@MuhammadUsman-bd5gb]

Great review

[@oceanmike8516]

why is al-khelaifi on the executive commitee when he isn't even european.

[@OscarVillarreal-rf8to]

Absolute bonkers idea. Stupid.. The ONLY match I can be ok with being outside of Europe is the FINAL.

[@manabukun]

Keep the UCL in the EU. But the clubs would do well to start their Asia or Middle East subsidiaries under the same brand maybe with players exchange from time to time. That'll drive even more engagement.

[@НикиДимитров25]

United having an event for the 7-0 game that’s awesome YNWA

[@maliksham4705]

Nice review

[@Muhammadnaveed-fw3nt]

I can in the distant future see the final being converted to a foreign one. Imagine the UCL final being played in Azteca in Mexico DF. Or what about a final in the Maracana in Brazil?

[@Mrrubbe]

That’s not a good thing

[@CountFisco]

Was the LA "I love United" event actually taking place with the 7-0 liverpool game? That is destiny right there

[@BlueWoWTaylan]

IT is never about 'Growing' football. It is only about 'growing revenue for even more over-inflated profits'.

[@ehandley1045]

Of course me being someone from Australia I’d love to watch my team in a UCL final. Especially considering coming to Europe and trying to watch a one off game proves to be very expensive without a membership. But it doesn’t seem right watching my team without the devoted supporters who are alwasy at the games The only way I can see this working is having it solely for one off games like a UCL final but they’d have to provide significant subsidies for local fans who deserve to be at those games just as much as fans from other countries do

[@ekzxty]

So you want local fan passports or something?

[@ehandley1045]

@@ekzxty just something so local fans can still go to these games without breaking the bank.

[@ekzxty]

@@ehandley1045 how do you prove you’re a local fan. What is a local fan? Is someone from Scotland or wales a local fan to an English club? Do you have to be from the city? Let’s use London as an example. 9 million people live in London. Can they all claim they are local fans to say a Chelsea or Arsenal?

[@doublecheeseburgr...]

​wouldn't it be easier to use season tickets as a way to judge who can go or not?

[@ehandley1045]

@@ekzxty yea like someone else said, season tickets is a good indicator. Plus to get most tickets for big clubs you have to be a member and accumulate a certain amount of points from attending game to get tickets for the big ones. So there’s already a system in place

[@edwardkelly3280]

It’s like putting the Champions League final in New Orleans.Doesn’t make any damn sense.

[@JimmyWuffster]

So much of this video is hearing talk of markets and finances, rather than the sport itself. TIFO are right to point to these issues, but it's so telling. What is the point in being called, say, Manchester City if the games are played in Dubai? Certainly I could see the argument for a neutral venue for the final, but at any other time it seems absurd that we're discussing playing games away from where a team is based. We've already accepted that players, managers and staff can come from outside the local area because, in theory, that improves fan experiences by providing better football. But it's also driven up ticket prices in some cases, to the point where a season ticket is the largest single purchase many fans will make in a year. And now we're hearing senior execs saying it's "arrogant" for local fans to have priority over seeing their team play live? The amount of money flowing through the Champions League right now is massively damaging to the competitiveness of the top leagues and keeps certain clubs always above a certain level and, functionally, too big to ever drop while smaller clubs fail or get stuck in a huge financial hole when they fall out of the CL after a brief spell in it (Leeds, Leicester etc). This will only cause further issues for fans.

[@musix3197]

Ayo what about a continental champions league. Not talking about Club World Cup but because it only takes into account the champions of each continent. I'm talking about a tournament say 36 teams from all over the world.

[@joeylau7578]

well the south american copa libertadores has already been played in madrid once, so i guess it's not impossible, but let's hope for only the final but not other games.

[@poppinc8145]

Most of the Middle East is _in_ Asia. In fact, you may want to look up the origins of the word _Asia_ which referred exclusively to West Asia and surrounding areas before being extended to the rest of the continent only following modern colonialism.

[@Dd-ks2fm]

I love the fact they tried the super bowl type live show at the start and the fans sang over the act. We are Europeans and we have our own sports culture so stop trying to americanise us.

[@nyanmad]

By expanding outside of Europe they just mean Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, Qatar and possibly China. Only countries who will fill UEFA’s pockets will get games

[@yoditan]

Why change something that doesn’t need changing. It’s a European competition. Also players, staff and managers travel so much already why make them travel even longer and also it would be too much with the domestic leagues. I think this is incredibly stupid.

[@TiernanBaker]

I don't think it matters tbh, I mean it defeats the point of it being a European competition, but there's very very few teams outside of Europe one could argue would make it to the knockouts anyways

[@Mrrubbe]

There would be riots if it’s played outside of europe

[@khubaib327]

Nice information

[@davidcontreras1451]

As a kid who has lived in the US his whole life (19 years old) I would HATE for the Champions League to be brought here, I don’t like the Kick-off times cause I’m in classes, however, Europe is where it’s meant to be played, no questions

[@sunnymehmood2033]

Great info

[@daniel69]

Do you have any footage of the united event in LA where they lost 7-0? 😂😂😂

[@sawyer3446]

I never watch the italian or spanish cup finals that often anymore, simply due to the fact that the atmosphere is just not the same. I would much rather watch the dutch cup final played in the netherlands than watch a boring final played in another country. UEFA will soon enough realise this. Football is all about fans, atmosphere and identity. People recognise this. They can keep trying to squeeze the game for what its worth in money, but us the fans will always follow where passion is.

[@farisj]

Spanish cup final is played in Spain

[@SD_BRFC1997]

@@farisj I think he means the super cup but I wouldn’t be surprised if they try move the cup to another country 😂

[@quacky1874]

I feel like my interest is falling further down the pyramid as the top clubs become ever more money driven and care less about the game.