The UEFA Champions League 2022 season comes to an end when Real Madrid takes on Liverpool in the final of the ultimate European championship at the Stade de France in Paris on Sunday, May 29, at 12:30 am IST. It is expected to be a fight for the ages between two teams that are in prime form this season. Madrid have already won the Spanish La Liga while Liverpool are knee-deep in the title race with Manchester City in the Premier League.
This season's final will be held in France, the home country for the current UCL season's top goalscorer Karim Benzema. The initial venue was the St. Petersburg Stadium in Russia, but the country's war with Ukraine forced the UEFA's hand as they changed the location from Russia to the capital of France, Paris.
History of the Stade de France
The Stade de France was functional on January 28, 1998. The stadium cost a total of 364 million Euros to build (Rs. 2900 Crores) and is ranking the seventh-best stadium in Europe.
The first match hosted at this stadium was a friendly between France and Spain. The match was played in front of 78,368 spectators, which included former President Jacques Chirac, with France winning the match 1–0 with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal, and the first-ever in the Stade de France, in the 20th minute.
Events at the Stade de France
Sporting events held at the Stade de France include the group stage matches of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2016. The 2023 Rugby World Cup, including the final, is also planned for the venue.
France are the current world champion after beating Croatia 4-1 in the FIFA World Cup final in 2018. The football-crazy country have so many stadiums that the Stade de France is only used for the national team. Meanwhile, Benzema will be looking to emulate his former teammate and close friend Cristiano Ronaldo in winning the Champions League in his home country. Ronaldo has also won one of his five Champions League trophies in Portugal in 2014.
