The 2025/26 Champions League Final Sees Major Changes, Vietnamese Fans Receive Good News

UEFA has just announced a significant change to the kickoff time for the 2026 Champions League final, making it easier for Vietnamese fans to watch the match at a more convenient hour.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has officially confirmed that the final match of the Champions League for the 2025/26 season will start three hours earlier than in previous years. Specifically, the match at Puskas Arena (Budapest, Hungary) on May 30, 2026, will begin at 6 PM local time (11 PM Vietnam time), instead of the usual 9 PM local time (2 AM the next day in Vietnam).

This marks the first significant change in kickoff time since 2010 – when UEFA fixed the final to Saturday evenings. The reason UEFA gave was to “enhance the matchday experience” for fans, teams, and the host city alike. In reality, late-night matches running until midnight had caused multiple issues related to transportation, security, and fatigue for attendees, especially families with young children or fans watching from time zones far from Europe.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated: “With this change, we place the fan experience at the heart of all our planning. The new kickoff time will make the final more accessible, inclusive, and have a stronger global impact.”

He further emphasized that the new schedule allows the match to finish earlier even if extra time or penalty shootouts are needed. This creates an opportunity for fans worldwide, particularly younger audiences, to fully enjoy the football atmosphere without significantly disrupting their personal lives or daily routines.

For Vietnamese fans, this change is truly welcome news. Instead of staying up all night as in previous years, they can watch Europe’s most thrilling final at 11 PM – a much more reasonable hour for both young people and working adults.

Puskas Arena – the venue for the 2026 final – is a modern stadium with nearly 70,000 seats. Previously, it hosted the 2023 Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma. With top-tier facilities and the new convenient kickoff time, the 2025/26 Champions League final promises to be a true football celebration for fans worldwide, including those in Vietnam.

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