Football’s ‘Finalissima’ likely in Wembley

Article posted by Coliseum, December 23^rd, 2021

Image: Delaware North

The Wembley Stadium (UK) is on course to host the first edition of a new intercontinental event between the champions of Europe and South America.

Italy and Argentina are due to lock horns in a special event this summer.

The ‘Daily Mail’ stated that European football’s governing body – the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – had already announced Italy and Argentina would meet in June, but have now confirmed the date of the match – June 1^st – and that it will be played in London.

The Wembley Stadium is understood to be the preferred venue for the match known as the ‘Finalissima’ but UEFA has not yet confirmed that.

The Wembley Stadium is a football stadium in Wembley, London (UK). It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium hosts major football matches including home matches of the England national football team, and the FA Cup Final. With 90,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in the United Kingdom and the second-largest stadium in Europe.

The ‘Daily Mail’ further stated that it is part of a renewed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UEFA and the South American confederation CONMEBOL which now extends to 2028, and covers two further editions of the showpiece match in addition to the game next year.

The renewed alliance between the confederations is significant at a time when both have publicly expressed their opposition to FIFA proposals to reform the international match calendar, which include playing a World Cup every two years.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously spoken about his ambition to present a consensus position to the associations on reforms to the international match calendar.

The UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin, earlier said European countries would boycott the World Cup if the plans were approved.

Italy will be happy to return to Wembley next year after their dramatic penalty shootout win over England in the Euro 2020 final last summer.

Argentina, meanwhile, got their hands on the Copa America by edging out a 1-0 victory against arch-rivals Brazil in the Rio de Janeiro showpiece.

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