Macdara Ferris reports from Munich
The Champions League final drops into a big city and a big stadium every year. The last three non-Covid finals were easily absorbed amongst a trio of cities that are all in the top ten biggest in Europe (Paris, Istanbul and London).
Munich felt a bit different. Maybe it was because Real Madrid were ‘missing’ from the final – having made six of the last dozen. Over the weekend the centre of Munich was taken over by the club fan zones with the PSG fans located pre-match in the Königsplatz and the Inter fans just 15 minutes away in Odeonsplatz.
This was the fifth time that the city hosted the European Cup final.
Munich is a football town – home to Bayern and 1860.
Munich is a sporting town – location for the 1972 Olympics.
It has two iconic stadiums – the Allianz Arena (de-branded to the Munich Football Arena for this Champions League final) and the Olympiastadion.
Both venues have hosted European Cup finals previously and both have been home to FC Bayern, whose European honours include six European Cups, one UEFA Cup and a European Cup Winners Cup.
Olympiastadion
In the Olympic Park over the weekend the UEFA Champions Festival was held in the shadow of the Olympic TV tower and adjacent to the Olympiastadion. Staying close to the venue, on Friday night I visited the festival which had Sebastian Ingrosso from Swedish House Mafia headlining in the open air amphitheatre (but I didn’t spot SHM superfan Ciaran Mullooly in the crowd).
Away from the electro house music, mostly locals were tucking into the bratwurst and having some beer. They were getting their picture taken with the giant Champions League trophy or the giant Champions League football or indeed both.
Made it to Munich for the weekend to cover the men's Champions League final for @ExtratimeNews.
Friday Night Disco Lights at the Champions Festival in the Olympic Park pic.twitter.com/18G2oqC1kd
— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) May 30, 2025
Later in the weekend I took the opportunity to explore the magnificent 70,000 capacity stadium. For €3.50 you can wander around its sweeping curves under the Frei Otto designed tent like roof. The main stadium built for the 1972 Olympics has hosted three European Cup finals and the Munich authorities are in the process of seeking UNESCO World Heritage status for the stadium.
It wasn't my first time in the stadium as back in 1992 on a school trip I attended Klaus Augenthaler’s testimonial when a star studded Juventus team took on Bayern Munich.
Been a Juventus fan since 1992 when I saw this stunning Juve lineup play against Bayern Munich at Klaus Augenthaler’s testimonial in the Olympic Stadium. Had to check Chiellini wasn’t playing back then. Don’t quite know what Vialli was doing in one of the photos pic.twitter.com/QVKH8vlg6h
— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) February 17, 2021
The stunning Olympiastadion pic.twitter.com/rLHpdfWDga
— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) June 1, 2025
Grünwalder Stadion
Before moving to the Allianz Arena, the Olympiastadion was home to Bayern and prior to the 1972 Olympics they played at Grünwalder Stadion. That was a venue I visited on a freezing February night in 2011 to take in a 3. Liga game as a sort of pilgrimage.
Carl Zeiss Jena beat Bayern Munich II 2-1 that night in the stadium where Shamrock Rovers came within five minutes of knocking Bayern out of the 1966 European Cup Winners Cup.
I wrote about that match for extratime.com here, speaking to a number of Hoops players on how a quarter-final berth slipped through hands after conceding a late Gerd Müller goal. Bayern would go on to win the competition beating Rangers in the final the following May.
Munich Football Arena
In 2011 the following day I watched a brilliant Bayern team stuff Hoffenheim 4-0 in the Allianz Arena. Thomas Müller, who has just ended a 25-year association with the club, was playing that day and the raumdeuter got on the score sheet as did Arjen Robben from a star studded FCB team that included Franck Ribéry, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Gómez and Danijel Pranjic.
The Allianz Arena is like a hot air balloon that has landed on the outskirts of Munich distracting the drivers motoring by on the adjacent Autobahn. Designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron, it is a steep three-tiered 75,000 capacity venue, with an tetrafluoro-ethylene facade that is magnificent when lit up at night.
The weekend of this Champions League Final – the 70th European Cup final – was actually the 20-year anniversary of the inaugural weekend of the stadium. In late May 2005, TSV 1860 played in the first game - a traditional Bavarian derby against Nuremberg – before the next day Bayern faced the Germany national team.
When I was there in 2011, the interior of the stadium was grey as the venue was the home to both Bayern and 1860 but the latter club has fallen on hard financial times and relinquished their 50% ownership over the years and are now back playing in the Grünwalder in the 3. Liga.
In 2018, the middle tier was modified and is now bedecked in Bayern colours, with the club crest on the seats behind one of the goals. Following his death there is a massive Franz Beckenbauer number 5 shirt hanging off the 5,300 tonne S355 steel roof – Der Kaiser captained Bayern to three European Cups in a row.
Pre-match build up
Last Saturday for the pre-game kick-off show presumably Lenny Kravitz was cup tied as a PSG fan and he had the gig at last year’s final at Wembley. I don't quite know what demographic UEFA were going for with their big artist this year but Linkin Park were rolled out for this final.
They blasted out a medley of four songs and finished with “the incredibly powerful 'Heavy is the Crown’ beautifully crafted together to create an unforgettable experience” according to UEFA.
German violinist David Garrett did a good job getting the crowd going by playing Seven Nation Army as the trophy was brought out by couple of Argentinian Javiers - Javier Pastore (PSG) and Javier Zanetti (Inter). Next Intro by xx came on over the PA as the build-up stepped up another level.
The players emerged up the steep steps, out on the pitch, before lining up as the Champions League soundtrack blasted around the stadium. Nothing cynical about this moment, it is spine tingling.
Supporters
The fans of both teams paid €70 for the privilege of getting one of the 18,000 tickets awarded to each of the participants.
UEFA run a ballot during the year for the final and football fans who have been allocated tickets have paid a lot more – Cat 3 €180, Cat 2 €650 and an eye watering €950 for a category 1 ticket. This compares with the Conference League final of €25 for club supporters, Cat 3 €45, Cat2 €140 and Cat €190 and the Women’s Champions League at €10, €20 and €40 tickets.
Whatever ticket you do have does get you free transport around Munich for the weekend but you kind of think you deserve a limo experience if you end up paying €950 for a match ticket.
Just before kick-off the camera picks out Tom Cruise in the crowd and I don't think he was sitting in one of the €70 seats.
With PSG attending their first European Cup final with fans (they lost the 2020 covid final in Lisbon behind closed doors), they outnumber and outsing the Inter supporters. The noise from the Parisian end isn’t surprising especially as their team completely dominates the game.
The PSG fans had already lit flares up in the build up to PSG’s opening goal and the smoke hung in the stadium for a lot of the first half.
By the time the fifth goal went in, it looked like they had used all their pyro and had maybe used up all their energy – there was a kind of buzz of disbelief that went around the venue when the score went to 5-0 with 19-year-old Senny Mayulu finding the back of the net.
Referee István Kovács put Inter out of their misery by not playing any injury time despite three second half goals and ten substitutes.
Think someone is going home with the goalposts as a souvenir pic.twitter.com/xnfYCyMCMS
— Macdara Ferris (@macdarabueller) May 31, 2025
There was a reasonably good-natured pitch invasion by the PSG supporters after the trophy presentation but the German police were well set up to not let anything get out of hand in the stadium. We did of course get Freed from Desire by Gala over the PA which we fully embraced in headlining our match report.
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— extratime.com (@extratime.com) 31 May 2025 at 22:09
As Saturday night turns into Sunday morning we hear from both managers and from the player of the match. I suspect we will be hearing a lot from Désiré Doué and his team for many years to come.
And then for me it is back to the Olympiastadion as the free supporter shuttles return to the Olympic Park and it is a short walk back to the hotel. It has been some night at the football.