When is the Champions League final 2023? Everything you need to know about the prestigious game

The Champions League final 2023 is perhaps the biggest date in the footballing calendar – and certainly the one day in the year that UEFA want you glued to your TV. 

This was always a midweek final but now there's no excuse to miss it, with the showpiece of the biggest game in club football coming on a Saturday night, long after the domestic action is over. 

Domestically in England, the League Cup final is the opener in February, the FA Cup final is yet to come in June, while the other European finals of the Europa League and Europa Conference League are both scheduled for when the domestic season ends. 

Inter Milan have already booked their place in the showpiece event after beating AC Milan 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, with the Nerazzuri set to face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the final.

The score in that game is currently 1-1, meaning everything is still to play for. 

Everything you need to know about the Champions League final 2023

As usual, the match will take place at 8pm in the evening, UK time. 

Istanbul was originally scheduled to host the 2020 edition's final but in June 2020, the UEFA Executive Committee chose to relocate the final to Lisbon as part of a "final-eight tournament" consisting of single-match knockout ties played in two stadiums across the city, because of COVID-19. Bayern Munich ended up winning the tournament behind closed doors. 

A year later, Istanbul was again pencilled in – but once more, the showpiece went to Portugal (this time Porto), with COVID-19 restricting travel. 2022's final was originally set for Saint Petersburg but was relocated to Paris, France, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The final of the Champions League was last hosted in Istanbul in 2005, when Liverpool famously overcame AC Milan on penalties, despite being 3-0 down at half-time.