The Real Champs
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Can Cardiff handle hosting a Champions League Final?

By Ben Sundock

CARDIFF, WALES - MAY 29: Armed police officers in Cardiff city centre on May 29, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales. Preparations are underway for the UEFA Champions League final which will be held on June 3 at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff. Extra security measures have been put in place in the city centre. The terror threat level has been reduced from critical to severe following a terrorist attack in which 22 people were killed at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES - MAY 29: Armed police officers in Cardiff city centre on May 29, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales. Preparations are underway for the UEFA Champions League final which will be held on June 3 at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff. Extra security measures have been put in place in the city centre. The terror threat level has been reduced from critical to severe following a terrorist attack in which 22 people were killed at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) /
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Real Madrid and Juventus are both well into their preparations for the Champions League Final on Saturday in Cardiff, Wales, and while the teams may be prepared on the pitch, the fans coming to the small city and to the stadium to watch the match may be inconvenienced. Ben Sundock explains how Cardiff might be too small of a city to host a final of this magnitude.

A city of 325,000, hosting an event with an estimated 100,000 visitors set to converge on one weekend. That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

The city of Cardiff is scrambling to get everything in order and accommodate this large influx of tourists to their city ahead of the colossal matchup between Los Blancos, and The Old Lady, Juve. Hotel shortages, transportation problems, and other unforeseen delays.

Marca are reporting that there will be multiple obstacles fans attending the match will have to go through before they even arrive at the Millenium Stadium. First, and probably the most difficult, is that fans from Spain will have to either fly into Bristol Airport (which is about an hour outside of Cardiff) or Birmingham (which is about two hours outside of the city).

The reason for this being, such a small city has a small airport, and thus won’t be able to accommodate all the expected visitors for the game.

The issues don’t stop there, as it has been nearly impossible for visitors to find hotel rooms. Reports are indicating that there are only 4,000 hotel rooms available to accommodate all the visitors. I’m not very good at math, but I know that that isn’t enough space for between 70,000 and 100,000 visitors (might want to take a tent and sleeping bag if you’re making the trek to Wales).

While the city has done a good job increasing security presence around the stadium and in the heart of the city, it will likely slow down the entrance process and cause huge lines.

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Unfortunately, I am not lucky enough to be attending the final, but a word of advice to those who are attending, get a hotel somewhere outside the city, maybe in Rumney or in Bristol, arrive in the city early, maybe 6 hours early, and get in line to go into the stadium at least a couple hours before kickoff.

Oh, and by the way, don’t expect much in terms of public transportation options.

I wish anyone who is venturing to Cardiff for the match the best of luck and safe travels. I also wish you good luck in arriving at the stadium before the match kickoffs. It’s sure to bedlam.

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