This year's finale to the European season will be hosted at the Millennium Stadium in Wales and we have all the info on dates, TV schedules and more
Real Madrid and Juventus have one foot in the Champions League final after securing convincing semi-final first-leg victories over Atletico Madrid and Monaco respectively.
Real have a three-goal advantage to defend at the Vicente Calderon and denied Atleti any away goals in their 3-0 win, while Juventus notched two on the road in a 2-0 triumph at Stade Louis II.
They are now the firm favourites to meet in European club football's biggest match at the beginning of June, with Zinedine Zidane's team looking to defend the trophy they won last season and in two of the past three campaigns.
Here's our guide to the game, the venue, the city and more as the final draws closer.
| Game | Champions League final |
| Date | Saturday, June 3, 2017 |
| Time | 19:45 BST, 14:45 ET |
| Venue | Millennium Stadium (Principality Stadium), Wales |
WHEN IS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL?
The Champions League final will be played on Saturday, June 3 at 19:45 BST.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL?
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on a to-be-confirmed BT Sport channel and by stream via the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport | BT Sport app |
In the US, the match will be available to watch live on television over-the-air on Fox and by stream via Fox Soccer 2Go.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Fox | Fox Soccer 2Go |
WHICH TEAMS ARE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL?
Real Madrid and Juventus are heavy favourites to advance to the Champions League final after taking aggregate leads in the first leg of their semi-final ties, but Atletico Madrid and Monaco remain in contention.
Real won 3-0 at home against their Madrid rivals - who they met in last season's final, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw - thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, and will make the short journey to the Vicente Calderon on May 10 aiming to protect that advantage.
Juventus, meanwhile, recorded a 2-0 win in Monaco thanks to two goals from Gonzalo Higuain and are now tasked with defending that lead back on home turf in Turin on May 9. They were last in the final in 2014-15, when they lost 3-1 to Barcelona.
WHERE IS THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL?
The 2017 Champions League final will be played at the Millennium Stadium - now known as the Principality Stadium for sponsorship reasons - in Cardiff, the capital and largest city of Wales. The ground sits next to the River Taff on Westgate Street in the city centre and is a short walk from both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street rail stations.
The Millennium Stadium seats 74,500 fans and was opened in 1999 at a cost of £121 million for that year's Rugby World Cup. It is now the home of the Welsh national football and rugby union teams.
It is the first time the biggest match in European club football has been hosted in Wales but the third occasion on which it has taken place in Great Britain over the past seven years, with Wembley awarded the fixture in both 2010-11 and 2012-13.
The stadium has hosted the FA Cup final and previously bid for the Champions League showpiece in 2003, but lost out to Old Trafford.
WHAT IS THE STADIUM SEATING PLAN?
The Millennium Stadium is classified by UEFA as a category-four venue - the highest rating and the one needed to host Champions League and Europa League matches - and is the second-largest stadium in the world with a retractable roof after the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
Three sides of the stadium are three-tiered, with the North Stand the only exception. This is due to its proximity to Cardiff Arms Park, the home of the Cardiff Blues rugby team, which is adjacent to the north end of the Millennium Stadium and subsequently restricted the size of that stand.
The Millennium Stadium has been praised, however, for its close viewpoints regardless of where tickets are bought and the intense atmosphere that can be generated as a result of its tightly packed feel. A full seating plan can be viewed on the stadium's official website.
HOW DO I GET TICKETS?
There are no longer any tickets on general sale. The deadline for applications was on Tuesday, March 28, with those successful being notified by Friday, April 7.
That sale accounts for only 5,500 of the overall 66,000 tickets, however. The remaining 36,000 tickets to be sold to fans will be split equally between the two clubs that reach the final to sell to their supporters.
The rest of the seats at the stadium will be handed out to organisers, football associations, commercial partners and broadcasters and used for corporate hospitality packages (which are also sold out).
The 5,500 on general sale were split into four price categories ranging from £390 to £60 each, with accessibility tickets also priced at £60. There was also the option of purchasing a 'youth package', which included one adult and one child in the Category 2 section (normally priced at £275 each) for a total of £120.
HOW TO GET THERE
By car:
The M4 motorway runs both east and west of Cardiff, and the stadium is regularly signposted as you approach and enter the city.
The stadium is right in the middle of the congested city centre, however, and driving in and parking nearby on matchday will be impossible, with many roads likely to be closed off. There is usually a park-and-ride option at a motorway junction near the city but those arrangements are likely to be confirmed closer to the date.
Driving to nearby Newport and getting a 15-minute train to Cardiff could also be an option.
By train:
Cardiff Central station is the biggest in the city and across the street from the Millennium Stadium. It takes direct arrivals from London, Bristol and Manchester and is accessible via connecting trains throughout the UK. Again, it is likely to be hugely busy on matchday and lines may in effect upon arriving at and leaving the station.
Cardiff Queen Street station is also near the stadium - approximately a 15-minute walk away - but serves smaller lines within the south of Wales.
By air:
Cardiff International Airport is 12 miles away from the stadium in the coastal town of Rhoose. Fans arriving by air can take a shuttle bus to Rhoose rail station and catch a 30-minute train from there to Cardiff Central or take a slightly longer bus into the city.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Pubs:
The upside of the Millennium Stadium's location in the middle of Cardiff is the number of eating and drinking options in the vicinity. There are said to be over 70 bars and pubs within a quarter-mile radius of the stadium, though they will be tested to their limit on the night of the Champions League final.
There are three big pubs to the south of the stadium - the Prince of Wales, the Bierkeller and Walkabout, all of which are likely to be jam-packed for the final. All 20 or 30 watering houses within a few minutes walk of the ground, in fact, will probably require an early arrival and fill up completely as kick-off approaches, with many more expected to descend on Cardiff than can actually fit in the stadium.
The reigning Cardiff CAMRA pub of the year is Hopbunker, about 10 minutes walk away from the stadium on Queen Street.
Restaurants:
TripAdvisor has a full list of the most popular restaurants in Cardiff but again, remember that reservations are almost certainly going to be necessary for anything remotely in the vicinity of the stadium.
CARDIFF, WALES: THE BASICS
Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and one of the four countries - along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland - that make up the United Kingdom. Wales borders the west of England on its east side and is separated from the Republic of Ireland on its west by the St George's Channel.
The country has its own national teams for most sports, including football, but competes as part of Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Cardiff is the 11th-largest city in the UK overall, with the 2011 census recording an urban population of 447,287 and the Cardiff-Newport metro area as a whole home to over a million people. It is part of the Eurocities network of major European cities and the location of the Welsh Assembly, where power concerning decisions relating to Wales is devolved by the main British government.
Traditionally a major coal centre, Cardiff today is the principal finance and business centre in Wales and accounts for 20 per cent of Welsh GDP.
WHICH PLAYERS ARE FROM CARDIFF?
Gareth Bale will be hoping to return to the Champions League final for the third time in four years in order to play for the trophy in his home city. He helped Whitchurch High School win the Cardiff & Vale Senior Cup as a 16-year-old shortly before making his first-team debut for Southampton, who he trained with at their satellite academy in Bath near the Welsh border.
Bale is only the second player ever from Cardiff to win Europe's top club prize; the first was Ryan Giggs, also a two-time champion with Manchester United. Liverpool duo Joey Jones and Ian Rush - both from northern Welsh towns - have two titles each to their names as well.
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