Istanbul to host 2021 UEFA Champions League final

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JUNE 17: Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Mehmet Kasapoglu speaks after UEFA Champions League 2020 final was previously scheduled to be at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul but the city will instead host 2021 final, UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti said in Wednesday's videoconference. The 2019-20 UEFA Champions League season will be completed with a 'Final 8' format as this year's final match will take place in Portugal's Lisbon on Aug 23. The top-flight football tournament will resume on Aug. 7 after it was suspended in March as the novel coronavirus hit Europe. UEFA separately said that Germany will host the current season's Europa League's quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The last 16 matches in the second-tier Europa League will resume on Aug 5. It said that following the round of 16, Europa League quarterfinals, semis and final will be played from August 10 to 21 as 'straight knockout tournament' in the German cities such as Cologne, Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Gelsenkirchen, and all these ties will be played with the single-leg format. UEFA added that the Polish city of Gdansk will host the 2021 Europa League final as 2020 final was decided to be in Cologne. Meanwhile, the 2020 UEFA Super Cup final will be played in Budapest on September 24. Portugal's Porto was originally scheduled for the 2020 final but UEFA on Wednesday relocated it to Hungary over the pandemic. (Footage by Mehmet Ozcan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)