Report: Lisbon could host shortened Champions League completion

In late May, Miguel Delaney of The Independent and Tariq Panja of the New York Times reported that the 2020 Champions League Final indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic would be moved from Instanbul because the Turkish capital wouldn't earn a return on investment for a Final played without spectators.

On Friday, PA Chief Sports Reporter Jamie Gardner wrote that Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is now the favorite to host the remainder of Europe's top club tournament, and that the competition will enter a new format once the last four round-of-16 fixtures are completed.

According to Gardner, Lisbon's Estadio da Luz and the Estadio Jose Alvalade could both be used to host the UCL quarterfinals and semifinals under a single-leg format. If necessary, the outstanding round-of-16 matches — Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, Juventus vs. Lyon, Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea, and Barcelona vs. Napoli — could also occur in what will likely become a footballing bubble site through Aug. 23, a penciled-in date for the Final.

It's not known if fans will attend any matches in Lisbon through the end of August.

Both the NBA and NHL plan to place teams in temporary hubs to complete their 2019-20 campaigns halted because of the virus outbreak.

Gardner echoed Panja's previous report that Instanbul is likely to be compensated with a future Champions League Final once fans are welcomed back to stadiums throughout Europe. The UEFA executive committee is scheduled to meet on June 17 to determine the best protocols for crowning Champions League and Europa League winners.

Germany may host the remaining Europa League matches. The German Bundesliga restarted its season last month.

There's been speculation that European nations want their top-flight leagues to commence 2020-21 campaigns by the end of September, even though such a quick turnaround would deprive the Champions League Finalists of an offseason.

Everybody, including professional footballers, is still adjusting to this new normal.