Korean fans must be happy. Champions final time is getting faster...UEFA Confirms Change Starting This Season
Aug 28, 2025
|
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on the 28th (Korea time) that it has decided to advance the kick-off time of the 2025-2026 Champions League final by three hours. Until now, the Champions League final has been held at 9 p.m. Central European time (4 a.m. Korean time). However, with this decision, Korea will be able to watch the game at 1 a.m. earlier than before. This season's Champions League final will be held on 31 May 2026 at Pushkasyarena in Budapest, Hungary.
UEFA President Alexander Cheperin responded to the decision by saying, `The fans' experience is the center of the plan.' The Champions League final is the highlight of the season. Kick-off in the existing time zone is fine for weekday games, but the final will be held on the weekend. As the time is advanced, the game will be finished faster even during overtime and penalty shootouts." After the game, you can enjoy the night with your friends and family looking back on the biggest game of the season. The new kick-off time will further increase accessibility and influence.'
There are also practical reasons. In the meantime, the Champions League final has been held at night due to various problems such as fan movement and accommodation. Due to the nature of the finals held in neutral areas, fans often suffered from soaring accommodation costs. Ronan Evan, UEFA's general director, said "The earlier kick-off time makes it easier to watch the day and lessens the stress of travel. Practical improvements for fans."
The Champions League final has been held in principle at 9:00 p.m. Central European Standard Time. Therefore, if there is a time difference, the local hosting time has been accelerated or delayed. The 2007-2008 Champions League final, which was held in Moscow, Russia, with a two-hour time difference from Central Europe, was held after 11 p.m. local time to meet this standard and ended at dawn.
In the meantime, the Champions League system has been changing. The league phase, which has been introduced away from the existing group stage-final tournament method, is slowly settling down as it evokes new repercussions. Changes are continuing, with UEFA taking care of the finals until the opening time.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
