Dublin's Croke Park keen to host Champions League final

Croke Park hosted an NFL regular-season game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers last September. Jack Thomas/Getty Images Share full article1Dublin’s Croke Park wants to host a UEFA Champions League final, its stadium and commercial director has told The Athletic. The 82,300-seater venue, which is not traditionally used for football matches, is due to host a friendly between Manchester United and Leeds United this summer and Peter McKenna hopes the staging of that game will prove the stadium’s capabilities. Croke Park is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the governing body for Irish national sports Gaelic football and hurling, and is one of the largest stadiums in Europe. “The capacity of 82,000 and successfully running an event like the Man United v Leeds fixture, all that would go to prove our credentials,” McKenna told The Athletic. “It would help to say ‘why not consider Dublin?’ “It is a city that gives a great atmosphere and a Champions League final in Croke Park would be fantastic.” August’s fixture will be the first ever club football game to be staged at the venue. Up until 2005, the GAA did not allow rugby union or football to be played on its grounds across Ireland. The relaxing of what is known as Rule 42, which previously prohibited sports the GAA felt were in competition with them, from Croke Park and other stadia opened the door to the Republic of Ireland men’s national team playing 13 fixtures at the venue while the Football Association of Ireland’s home Lansdowne Road, now known as Aviva Stadium, was being renovated between 2006 and 2009. The 51,700-capacity Aviva Stadium hosted the 2024 Europa League final, when Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 and it will stage seven 2028 European Championship games — but UEFA prefers Champions League deciders to be at venues with seating for more than 65,000. “I have no doubt we would get the full support of Dublin City Council, the Irish government and the FAI for such a venture,” McKenna added. Croke Park officials and UEFA have not yet held any talks but the European governing body is limited on the number of stadiums it can use because of the need for large capacities. There would be some obstacles before any UEFA match could be held there. UEFA would need to licence the stadium, while there is a terraced part of the ground, famously known as Hill 16, which would need temporary seating like it had when Ireland played there previously. Temporary seating was also installed for the NFL clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings last year. Another issue would be the timing with Champions League finals usually taking place in late May, which is now when the Gaelic football and hurling championship campaigns are well underway and the stadium is in regular use. Leinster Rugby have also played occasional fixtures at the stadium since 2023 as the stadium looks to attract more major sports to increase GAA revenue. Croke Park, along with TEG Sport, will stage the Manchester United-Leeds friendly on August 12, as long as Leeds do not win the FA Cup or get relegated from the Premier League. Another opponent for Manchester United would be needed if either were to happen because Leeds would be playing in the Community Shield or their opening game of the Championship the following weekend. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Chris McKenna spent more than 11 years working for the Daily Star as well as the Daily Mirror and Daily Express covering football and boxing. He also covered the World Cup final in 2022 and boxing’s biggest events of the last decade.