Real Madrid are the current Champions League holders

UEFA have confirmed the 2018 Champions League final will be held in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.

The 2017 European decider will be held in the UK in Cardiff's Principality Stadium and UEFA executive committee 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, who annexed the Crimea region of Ukraine in early 2014.

The 2018 Champions League final will take place in Kiev less than a month before Russia hosts the World Cup

UEFA has blocked Russian and Ukrainian national and club teams being drawn together in competitions since July 2014.

Laurinec, from Slovakia, leads a UEFA panel liaising between Russia and Ukraine on football issues.

One barrier to awarding the 2018 final to Kiev had been potential visa problems for Russian officials and guests from Champions League sponsor Gazprom.

Reconstruction work on Kiev's Olympic Stadium was completed in 2011 and the stadium was the venue for the Euro 2012 final the year after.

The Estonian capital of Tallinn will hold the UEFA Super Cup final at the Lillekula Arena on August 18, 2018, while the venue for the 2018 Europa League final will be decided at a later date, UEFA said.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive penalty as Real Madrid won last season's Champions League

The San Siro in Milan held last season's Champions League final in May, in which Real Madrid won the competition for a record 11th time after Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive fifth penalty against La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid.

UEFA also confirmed Theodore Theodiridis as permanent general secretary at the first ExCo meeting under UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

Wales and Northern Ireland fans were among those awarded by UEFA following Euro 2016

Fans of Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Iceland were also awarded for their outstanding contribution to success of Euro 2016.

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