Women’s Champions League final will shine brighter on its own – UEFA chief

(Reuters) – The Women’s Champions League final will become an unmissable event when it separates from the men’s contest next year, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has said ahead of this week’s showpiece in Kiev between VfL Wolfsburg and Olympique Lyonnais.

The two titans of women’s football meet on Thursday, two days before Liverpool take on Real Madrid in the men’s edition in the Ukrainian capital. However, it will be the last time the two matches take place together, with next year’s women’s final in Budapest while the men’s version will be held in Madrid.

Ceferin, head of European soccer’s governing body since 2016, was confident that the club competition could emulate the success of last year’s Women’s European Championship hosted in the Netherlands.

“The potential for women’s football is limitless and it is with this in mind that we decided to separate the two UEFA Champions League events,” he said.

“That will give the women’s game a platform of its own, to continue to grow and to become an unmissable event and television spectacle in its own right.

“We saw at Women’s Euro how popular the game has become, both from a fan experience perspective and also to an ever-growing television audience. At UEFA we have worked harder than ever this year to maximise the potential of women’s football to tap into that growing market.”

The two finals had been paired together for nine years, since the modern UEFA Women’s Champions League came into being, previously being the Women’s Cup.

It is the third time that Lyon and Wolfsburg will face each other in the final, with the Germans winning their first European trophy in 2013 by beating the French side before going on to defend their title the next year.

However, four-times champions and holders Lyon got their revenge in 2016 with a penalty shootout victory over Wolfsburg before defeating Paris St Germain also on spot-kicks last year.

Both sides will be aiming for a glittering treble with Wolfsburg, coached by Stephan Lerch, having already won the domestic league championship and the German Cup. Lyon recently wrapped up a record 16th French league title and take on PSG in the final of the Coupe de France next week.