The big day has arrived when the champions of Europe are to be crowned. The UEFA 2021-22 Champions League final will see Liverpool take on Real Madrid at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday. The last time these two teams had faced each other in the Champions League final was back in 2018 when Real Madrid had emerged triumphant.
However, the equation has changed this time and both the teams will give in their best to secure the coveted trophy. The final was originally supposed to take place in St. Petersburg, but UEFA opted to alter the location owing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Here's how you can watch the finals.
Tough Contest Ahead
Real Madrid has won the tournament 13 times and would go all out to win the trophy yet another time. However, they will face stiff competition from Liverpool. The English club has been the European champions on six occasions, more than any other English team and will like to better their record.
Madrid have reached the European Cup final for the 17th time this season, six more than any other club. They have won their last seven finals in this competition and, of course, their total of 13 titles is unsurpassed.
In the 2017-18 season, the last time Real Madrid and Liverpool met in the finals in Kyiv, Ukraine, Los Blancos won 3-1.
In that match, Mohamed Salah was infamously hurt, with Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos being accused of "deliberately injuring" the Egyptian winger. Salah had stated that he wants to face Real Madrid in the final even before the Spanish giants had qualified for the final.
All Sold Out
The equation this year has changed and no team is a clear favorite this time around, which is likely to make the match an overall tough contest. A lot will depend on Saleh once again. However, Liverpool have a number of injury concerns heading into the final.
Mo Salah, the club's top scorer, and talismanic defender Virgil van Dijk both limped out of the FA Cup final a fortnight ago, but both are expected to recover after coming off the bench in last weekend's 3-1 victory over Wolves, a game in which Salah came on to score and share the Premier League Golden Boot with Tottenham's Son Heung-min.
Unsurprisingly, the final is a sell-out with no tickets remaining on general sale.
Around 52,000 tickets were sold to fans at the Stade de France in Paris, out of a total capacity of 75,000, with little under 20,000 each going to Liverpool and Real Madrid, and 12,000 sold to football fans around the world via a UEFA.com poll.
When and Where
The big-ticket match will be played at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday. The match starts at 3 pm ET (Saturday, May 28) in the United States and 8 pm GMT (Saturday, May 28) in the UK.
In India, the match starts at 12:15 AM IST (Sunday, May 29) and 3 AM SGT (Sunday, May 29) in Singapore.
Kick-Off Time for Other Countries
How to Watch
The match will be aired in 200 countries, making it one of the largest viewed events of the year.
In the UK, the final will be shown free-to-air for Virgin Media customers on channel 532.
For the fans in the United States final can be aired on available on TV via CBS (in English), and Univision and TUDN (Spanish), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain)
In India, the final between Real Madrid and Liverpool will be aired on Sony Sports Network's Sony Ten 2/HD and Sony Six/HD..
While Stan is the regular Champions League rights holder in Australia, the 2022 final will be live and free on 9Now/9Gem too.
How to Watch Online
US: Soccer fans in the United States can watch UEFA Champions League games live on Paramount Plus for free for the first seven days. Besides, the final will be available to stream on fuboTV, which is available to new users on a free trial.
UK: The Champions League final will be available on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate for subscribers and BT Sports YouTube channel.
India: SonyLIV will live stream the match.
Australia: The match can be livestreamed on Stan Sport.
Canada: As with all Champions League matches in Canada, the final will be streamed live and on demand via DAZN.
Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore: For fans in these countries, beIN Sports is the place to find all of the action.
New Zealand: Kiwis can tune in to the game via the streaming service Spark Sport.
