Skip to main content

Wembley Stadium will host the largest security operation in its history for the Champions League final.

On Saturday, Wembley Stadium will have the largest stewarding operation in its history to guarantee that the Champions League final does not replicate the disastrous events of previous years.

The past two Champions League finals in Paris and Istanbul both caused problems for fans, while the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium three years ago was also marred by major chaos.

The circumstances during the Euro 2020 final triggered an investigation by Baroness Casey, and the Football Association claims lessons have been learned.

The FA and UEFA have collaborated to guarantee that such incidents do not occur again this Saturday, when Borussia Dortmund face Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium.

More than 2,500 stewards will be on duty, the most ever at Wembley Stadium, and there will be a huge policing operation both inside and outside.

Since the Euro 2020 final, £5 million has been committed to upgrade Wembley Stadium's safety and security infrastructure. These improvements include stronger doors and new fences, as well as an increase in the number of body cameras for stewards.

A new control room has been established, which can monitor 'Zone X' - the area outside of Wembley. It implies that security personnel can monitor the movements of spectators outside the stadium in case violence arises.

Wembley has been testing safeguards during games this year in preparation for Saturday's final, and all of them were in place for last weekend's FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

Fans on Saturday will have their tickets checked twice before entering the turnstiles, which will open four hours before kickoff.

Normally, they open two hours before the game, but this has been extended, and there will be food and drink incentives inside the stadium for those who arrive early.

Both clubs' fan zones have been established in London, with Dortmund's located in Hyde Park and Real Madrid's on Victoria Embankment.

"What I will say is, I can't sit here and say that when you watch the Netflix documentary, you can't help but feel incredibly sad that this was not a fair or right day for many people - be it the staff working here or the fans who genuinely had tickets," said Chris Bryant, The FA's Tournaments, Events, and Interim Stadium Director.

"It was a challenging and unpleasant day, and it was not how I thought we should have ended the campaign.

“A massive amount of work has gone into this with the staff and this team and stakeholders, and I think that is why we have got is much buy-in.

"I believe everyone considers this an event of national significance. It is a chance to sort of prove and show that London is exceptional at producing huge events.

"Wembley is a great place to host big football games, and we want to prove that again on Saturday.

"We can only control what we can control, and we must do everything we can to put ourselves in the best possible position. I believe we have accomplished that this time around."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

From Nadir to New Heights: How Maldini and Leonardo Plan to Reform Italian Football.

Italian football sits at a crossroads. Once the standard-bearer of tactical sophistication and defensive mastery, it has in recent years appeared trapped between past glories and an uncertain future — characterized by uneven youth development, financial imbalances, and a reluctance to fully embrace the technological revolution reshaping elite sport. Enter Paolo Maldini and Leonardo: figures whose reputations combine footballing heritage with contemporary administrative savvy. Their presence in key leadership roles signals more than nostalgia; it points to a potential blueprint for how Italian clubs — and by extension the national game — can use technology, smart analytics, and organizational reform to climb back to sustainable excellence. At the heart of any credible reform plan is a clear diagnosis: Italy’s footballing infrastructure retains immense strengths — strong coaching traditions, passionate fanbases, and competitive domestic leagues — but suffers from systemic weaknesses that...

Confirmed Galáctico Signings: How Mourinho's New Era at Real Madrid Begins.

Real Madrid have never been a club that quietly enters a new era. Every major shift in their history arrives with drama, expectation, and a transfer window that immediately tells the story. This summer feels no different. The return of José Mourinho has not only reintroduced one of football’s most polarizing and brilliant managers to the Bernabéu stage, it has also signaled a subtle but important change in how Real Madrid think about power, balance, and identity. The old instinct to chase glamour for its own sake is still part of the club’s DNA, but Mourinho’s influence suggests a more controlled, more functional, and perhaps more ruthless kind of ambition. The confirmed arrivals already point toward a project built on structure rather than spectacle alone. Ibrahima Konaté, Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella and Bernardo Silva have already been tied to the rebuild, while the club continues to look at further reinforcement in midfield and defense. That matters because this is not a scatter...

Will Expanding the World Cup to 64 Teams Dilute Football's Integrity?

The idea of a 64-team World Cup sounds, on paper, like a celebration of football’s global reach. More nations would get the chance to experience the tournament, more fans would see their flag on the biggest stage, and more stories from outside the traditional power centers would enter the world’s football conversation. But beneath that sense of inclusion lies a serious question: can the World Cup grow without losing the competitive sharpness, sporting balance, and emotional intensity that made it the most powerful tournament in football? In many ways, expanding to 64 teams could widen the event’s footprint while narrowing its meaning. The World Cup has always been more than a tournament. It is a global ritual built on tension, scarcity, and the feeling that every match matters. Part of its magic comes from the fact that qualification is hard, entry is precious, and the final tournament feels exclusive enough to carry real weight. When the field expands too much, the event risks changin...

Manchester United's 2026 Midfield Revolution: How Santos and Tielemans Will Redefine the Team.

Manchester United’s 2026 midfield rebuild feels less like a routine squad adjustment and more like a statement of direction. If the club truly intends to move from inconsistency to control, then pairing a dynamic ball-winner like Santos with a polished operator like Tielemans could reshape the team’s identity in a way United have badly needed for years. The bigger question is not whether they are talented enough, but whether their arrival can finally give United a midfield that feels modern, balanced, and reliable. For too long, United’s midfield has lived in an uncomfortable middle ground. At times it has been too open, too easy to run through, and too dependent on individual moments rather than collective command. At other times it has been too cautious, slowing the game down without creating enough threat. The best teams do not merely fill midfield slots; they build a central engine that determines how the entire side behaves. That is exactly why the Santos-Tielemans combination mat...

Didier Deschamps Departs: A Look Back at His Legendary 14-Year Reign with France.

Didier Deschamps walking away from the France job after 14 years feels less like a simple coaching change and more like the closing of a chapter in football history. His reign did not just bring trophies; it rewired the identity of Les Bleus, dragged the national team out of chaos, and turned France into the sport’s most reliable tournament machine. Looking back on his era means retracing a journey from crisis management to dynasty building, from the scars of past meltdowns to a culture defined by discipline, unity, and ruthless consistency. When Deschamps took charge in 2012, France were not the serene giant we now take for granted. The memory of the 2010 World Cup fiasco still hung in the air – the player revolt, the fractured dressing room, the sense that the blue shirt had become a magnet for ego clashes rather than collective ambition. There was talent, but it was scattered and unfocused. Deschamps arrived as a former captain who had already lifted the World Cup and the European C...