Fans expected from the quarter-final onwards in the UCL

Portugal’s capital Lisbon is all set to stage the final rounds of the Champions League in August, with Europe’s elite clubs and fans all geared up. Portugal can expect an influx of thousands of supporters of the game when Lisbon hosts the final stages of the UCL.

It’s been a long time since Europe has been hit with by the coronavirus pandemic and UEFA decided in May that the competition will be resumed from the quarter-final stage onwards. All eight teams will be in the same city and UEFA have planned to manage them closely, hoping that no new problems pertaining to the pandemic arrive.

According to the executive director of Portuguese Institute of Administration (IPAM) Daniel Sa, Portugal can expect to benefit and earn around €50m in extra income. Lisbon also hosted the Champions League final in 2014, when Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz, the venue that will also stage this year’s games.

Sa said, “We believe that we will have more than 15,000 fans, without tickets of course, that are going to gather during these 12 days in the country and basically having fun around the tournament.” The number is very small when compared to last year’s Champions League final but it will be a manageable number for the local authorities.

“Portugal is a country that loves football. So having an event like this with the eight top European teams, during 12 days in Portugal in a year where we had no football for three months, this is a gift for the country,” Sa added.

The news may act as a big boost for the Portuguese skipper Cristiano Ronaldo but only if Juventus qualify as they currently trail by a goal to Lyon. The reverse fixture is scheduled on August 7 and all eyes will be on him. 

“Ronaldo is a very big, big brand in Portugal and right now some Portuguese are supporters for Juventus. So I think this could raise the attention in Portugal and raise the economic impact," he further added.

featured image credits- uefa.com