UEFA has "confirmed the 2018 Champions League final will be held in the Ukrainian capital Kiev," according to SKY SPORTS. The 2017 European decider will be held in the U.K. in Cardiff's Principality Stadium and UEFA ExCo member Frantisek Laurinec confirmed the following year's final "will take place at the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Thursday, ending year-long negotiations."
The decision means Ukraine "will host UEFA's highest profile club match less than a month before the 2018 World Cup kicks off in neighbouring Russia." One barrier to awarding the 2018 final to Kiev "had been potential visa problems for Russian officials and guests from Champions League sponsor Gazprom" (SKY SPORTS, 9/15). The AP reported UEFA also decided that the Super Cup between the Champions League and Europa League winners "will be on Aug. 14, 2018 in the Lillekula stadium in Tallinn, which has a capacity around 10,000."
The French city of Lyon "is in talks to host the 2018 Europa League final but tax and security issues still need to be settled" (AP, 9/15).
