The upcoming UEFA Super Cup between Champions League winner Bayern Munich and Europa League victor Sevilla is expected to host 20,000 fans, roughly at 30% capacity of the 67,000-seat Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
UEFA announced it will allow fans for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, allowing for some socially-distanced entertainment. According to ESPN, it is not yet clear if the 20,000 stadium capacity will be made up of fans of Bayern Munich and Sevilla allowed to fly into Hungary, or if only local football supporters will be permitted to attend the event.
UEFA is expected to use this game to study the impact of spectators as part of their Return to Play initiative. Yet all other European matches are expected to continue playing behind closed doors.
“While it has been important to show that football can carry on in difficult times, without fans, the game has lost something of its character,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said. “We hope to use the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest as a pilot that will begin to see the return of fans to our matches.
“We are working closely with the Hungarian Federation and its government to implement measures to ensure the health of all those attending and participating in the game. We will not take risks with people's safety.”
Bayern Munich finished off an unbeaten run through the UEFA Champions League, beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final, thanks to a second-half Kingsley Coman goal. Sevilla, now a six-time winner of the UEFA Europa League, took down Inter Milan in a dazzling back-and-forth for 90 minutes.
These two European giants will clash on Sept. 24, a date that 20,000 lucky fans will anxiously await after a long hiatus of a live audience in sports across the world.
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