Newsletters
Istanbul is set to host its fifth UEFA European final, with Freiburg and Aston Villa meeting at Besiktas Park on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. GMT in the UEFA Europa League final.
The city's first European final came in 2005, when Liverpool faced AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in what remains one of the most dramatic finals in the competition's history.
Milan led 3-0 at halftime, but Liverpool leveled at 3-3 within the opening 15 minutes of the second half. The match was ultimately decided on penalties, with Liverpool winning 6-5.
Istanbul hosted a second final at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on May 20, 2009, when Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine faced Werder Bremen of Germany in the UEFA Cup.
Shakhtar Donetsk opened the scoring through Luiz Adriano in the 25th minute before Naldo equalized for Werder Bremen in the 35th.
The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. In the 97th minute, Jadson's goal gave Shakhtar Donetsk the title—the club's first-ever European trophy and the first UEFA Cup won by a Ukrainian side. The team was managed by Mircea Lucescu.
Besiktas Park hosted its first European final in August 2019, when Liverpool and Chelsea, UEFA Champions League and Europa League holders respectively, met in the UEFA Super Cup.
After a 1-1 draw at full time and 2-2 after extra time, Liverpool won on penalties 5-4 to claim the trophy, their second major title won in Istanbul following the 2005 Champions League triumph.
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium returned to the European stage 18 years after the 2005 final, hosting the 2023 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
Rodri scored in the 68th minute, the only goal of the match, and handed Manchester City the trophy.
The match featured Ilkay Gundogan, who is of Turkish descent, playing for City, and Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu representing Inter.
Wednesday's final will be Besiktas Park's second European final. Beyond this match, Türkiye is also set to host the 2027 UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Initial plans pointed to Besiktas Park as the venue, though a subsequent announcement indicated the final could be staged in Ankara at the Yeni Ankara Stadyumu, which is currently under construction.
This will only happen if the facility is completed on schedule and receives UEFA approval.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
