Champions League: Istanbul and Lisbon in race for hosting 2020 tournament final

Manchester: Istanbul and Lisbon are competing to host the 2020 Champions League final, European football’s governing body UEFA said on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_4192575” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The Champions League Trophy. AFP[/caption] Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium, the scene of a memorable final in 2005 that Liverpool won on penalties after trailing AC Milan 3-0 at half-time, is bidding to host for the second time. Benfica’s Estadio da Luz, home of Portuguese club Benfica, is also bidding for a second Champions League final. Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid there in 2014. This season’s final will be held at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium and the 2019 showpiece at Atletico’s new Wanda Metropolitiano venue. UEFA also said the Arena Gdansk in Poland and the Estadio do Dragao, in Porto, Portugal are bidding for the 2020 Europa League final, while the Austria Vienna, Standard Liege and Dinamo Moscow are competing to host the 2020 Women’s Champions League final.