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It is the first time Hungary has hosted the UEFA Champions League final, and it is expected to give the economy a significant boost.
The 2026 final is the 71st season of Europe’s premier club soccer tournament (and the 34th since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs’ Cup). It will be played at the Puskás Aréna, which has a capacity of around 67,000. The kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., CET.
UEFA announced Budapest’s successful bid to host the match on May 22, 2024. In March 2026, it was announced that American indie rock band The Killers would perform at the opening ceremony.
Arsenal and PSG fans have received 17,200 tickets each, with nearly 5,000 more going to neutral supporters. Thousands of additional visitors are expected to arrive without tickets. Budapest Airport says it has been preparing for almost a year for what will be one of its busiest weekends on record, with the final expected to push daily passenger numbers above 100,000, roughly double the usual 50,000–55,000.
“In addition to the teams, tens of thousands of fans and guests will arrive in Budapest for this highly anticipated global event, traveling on both chartered and commercial flights,” Ference Liszt International operator Budapest Airport says. In addition to its usual daily passenger traffic, Budapest Airport will handle tens of thousands of fans and guests arriving and departing on charter and scheduled flights, as well as private jets.
“This task requires exceptional coordination between all organizations, companies and authorities involved in the event,” the airport says. “Preparatory work began 10 months ago, in the summer of 2025.”
A special working group was formed under the coordination of Budapest Airport, involving, among others, UEFA, the National Event Management Agency, the Airport Police Directorate, HungaroControl, the National Tax and Customs Administration, the civil aviation authority, the airport ground handling companies and taxi and public transportation companies.
As part of the coordinated approach, the airport will temporarily suspend cargo traffic, training and technical flights and its availability as an alternate airport to ensure it has the necessary capacity to handle the increased passenger traffic. Terminal 1 will once again operate as a full-fledged terminal during the event, handling all Wizz Air flights to and from London on May 29, 30 and 31. Food and beverage options will be available for passengers inside the building, with transportation services available from the front of the terminal buildings.
“Between May 29 and 31, the number of flights is expected to double compared to usual levels, particularly on Saturday and Sunday, when nearly 800 flights will operate daily. General aviation traffic will also significantly exceed normal levels. The largest traffic increase is expected on the London and Paris routes,” Budapest Airport says.
Given the heavier-than-usual air traffic, the airport is asking passengers to arrive at least two and a half hours before their scheduled flight departure, or earlier if recommended by their airline. It says passengers should be prepared for possible road closures and traffic congestion, and allow more time than usual for their trip to the airport.
Airlines are adding major capacity. Wizz Air will operate eight flights from Luton and Gatwick on May 29, plus four more on match day, while EasyJet says it has added more than 750 seats in each direction; Ryanair has also increased capacity. Qatar Airways and Air France say they are deploying wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER, each carrying more than 300 passengers.
The period will also become a test of the EU’s new electronic entry system under peak load. Many of those fans will be coming from the United Kingdom, not least London, where Arsenal is based (indeed, the current British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is a supporter of the club, though there has been no public statement about whether he plans to attend).
“It is fantastic to see Budapest hosting the UEFA Champions League final for the first time, and with Arsenal facing Paris Saint-Germain, there will naturally be strong British and French interest in the occasion,” says Justin McKenzie Smith, the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Hungary.
“For British supporters traveling to Hungary, the British Embassy’s consular team will be monitoring the event and remains available 24/7 to provide consular assistance to British nationals who need help. We are working closely with the Hungarian authorities, UEFA and our French embassy colleagues as preparations continue,” he confirms.
“We encourage fans to plan ahead, check the latest FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) travel advice for Hungary, make sure they have valid travel documents and appropriate travel insurance, and follow the instructions of local authorities while in Budapest. Arsenal supporters should also check UEFA’s official event guide for the latest matchday information, including the Arsenal Fan Meeting Point at Városliget and the UEFA Champions Festival at Heroes’ Square,” the ambassador adds.
The official sponsor of the Champions League, a relationship that goes back to 1994, is brewer Heineken. “Hosting the UEFA Champions League Final in Budapest is a once-in-a-generation moment for Hungary, for football fans and for Heineken,” Nikos Zois, CEO of Heineken Hungary since 2021, told the Budapest Business Journal. “Football has a unique power to bring people together, and as a long-standing partner of the Champions League, it is incredibly special for us to celebrate the final right here, with Hungarian fans at the heart of it,” he says.
“In the weeks leading up to the match, we are turning Budapest into a true meeting point for football lovers: from fan activities such as a unique Heineken Table Football Marathon [see opposite] and UCL Trophy experiences across the city to shared moments where people can celebrate, connect and enjoy the game responsibly,” Zois says.
“Our Heineken cans and bottles have received a unique packaging design that reflects the Budapest final, and we’ve decorated retail outlets all across Hungary with beautiful merchandising evoking football fever. We’ve also run our biggest Heineken promotion ever: a nationwide event that gave Hungarian consumers the chance to win a total of 100 tickets to the final, bringing the magic of this historic event even closer to local fans.”
Zois said the goal (if you will pardon the pun) of the campaign around the final has been straightforward. “Our aim is simple: to create memorable experiences that go beyond the stadium and truly reflect what Heineken stands for: friendship, the joy of true togetherness, and unforgettable moments.”
Meanwhile, the city’s hospitality sector is also looking to capitalize on the influx of football fans. “Since Budapest was announced as the Champions League final location, every hotel, from one-star to five, has been trying to maximize the income for this weekend,” confirms Zoltán Somlyai, president of the Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association.
“Budapest will be fully booked for sure; the question is the revenue. As we get closer to the final date, available rooms are running out,” the president says. Hotels will be reviewing their pricing strategy and assessing yield management on an almost daily basis, and will also try to encourage guests to extend their stay by two or three nights.
“Four weeks ago, the STR (an independent data collector platform) showed 70-80% occupancy for the Champions League weekend, although on the online platforms, there were zero rooms available,” Somlyai says. “In the meantime, of course, the luxury hotels have started the fight to win hosting rights for the teams. There will be prestige to this, and, later, they could use it as a marketing tool,” he says.
It isn’t only the hotels that will hope to maximize the potential offered by the weekend. Restaurants, too, will be looking forward to being fully booked, just as they are each year during the Formula One weekend. “Here, it is the high-level restaurants that are the most popular. In most cases, they have been booked in advance for sponsor events,” Somlyai says.
Football fever arrived in central Budapest on May 16 as more than 600 people gathered at Erzsébet tér for Heineken’s giant foosball marathon, setting a new Hungarian record just two weeks before the UEFA Champions League final.
Despite heavy rain throughout much of the day, the atmosphere remained festive as participants took turns playing on a nearly seven-meter-long foosball table specially built for the occasion. By the end of the marathon, 642 people had participated, and the two sides had collectively scored more than 700 goals, officially earning recognition from the Hungarian Record Association. According to the organizers, there is no known international equivalent to the attempt.
The event ran from 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., with players joining spontaneously formed teams and competing in rotating matches throughout the day. While the record itself drew attention, organizers stressed that the real focus was on bringing people together through football and shared experiences.
“The slogan that football fans have more friends truly came to life during the marathon,” said Katalin Perényi, marketing director of Heineken Hungária. “For us, it was even more important that many people arrived as strangers and left as friends.”
The event also featured appearances by foosball world champions, football-themed activities, live entertainment and skills challenges. Visitors had the opportunity to see and photograph the official UEFA Champions League trophy, while hundreds of prizes were distributed during the day, including a pair of tickets to the final at Puskás Aréna.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of May 22, 2026.
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