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The Champions League final - the biggest game in club football - is set to be staged at the Millennium Stadium in 2017.

Stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or hometown hero Gareth Bale could be going for glory in front of 74,500 fans in Cardiff in what would be the biggest event the arena has ever staged.

The game has been hailed as "Wales' chance to shine".

Liverpool FC legend Joey Jones said the stadium is the 'perfect venue' for the final.

WalesOnline revealed last year how the Football Association of Wales were ready to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on staging Euro 2020 games by landing the most prestigious club fixture in the game.

Having wowed European football bosses with their successful staging of the European SuperCup between Real Madrid and Sevilla last summer, it has given the FAW a huge chance of now bringing the glory of the Champions League to the Welsh capital.

When the UEFA Super Cup came to Cardiff

Hopes of bringing the game to Cardiff in the past have been hit by problems over infrastructure including hotels and hospitalities.

MORE: 11 things you might not know about the UEFA Champions League final

But despite their painstaking work to overcome such issues missing out with last September’s vote for the Euro 2020 games, it could have done enough to persuade European football chiefs that the city is capable of hosting such a huge event.

The Millennium has already proven itself as a first-class football venue having staged FA Cup finals while the larger area’s suitability to global sporting occasions has been seen time and again with the likes of the Ryder Cup and the Ashes being staged in South Wales.

The FAW have long stated their aim to bring the game to Wales but have stayed tight-lipped on long-running speculation they had done enough to see-off any rivals bids and win the race to stage the game and the climax to the 2016/2017 season in Europe.

Despite previous misgivings by Uefa President Michel Platini, Wales had already upped their attempts to persuade European bigwigs before the Euro 2020 announcement.

And when they missed on out in September’s vote, FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford told WalesOnline: “We have always talked to UEFA about other events and certainly I would hope with so many cities being used in 2016, 2018 and 2020 there will be other cities chosen to stage major events and that Wales will have one of those.”

Reports have claimed the FAW have done enough to land the glamour game with an announcement due by Uefa in Prague a week tomorrow.

Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Wales, said: “It is great news for Wales. It places us on the global map.

“When encouraging investors to come to Wales you are no longer trying to explain to them who we are and what we are about."

The world's most watched sporting events

(Image: Creative Commons)

A massive 180 million people tuned in to this month’s Champions League Final in Berlin, when Lionel Messi’s Barcelona overcame Carlos Tevez’s Barcelona in a thrilling encounter - making it the biggest annual sporting event in the world.

But how does the match rate, in terms of television viewing figures, among the most watched sporting events around the world?

5. The Superbowl

According to Reuters, the USA’s biggest sporting spectacle is watched by 160 million around the world, but the sport has for the past few years been looking to further its reach, as 113 million of that figure live in the States.

4. The Champions League Final

June’s Champions League final drew in an incredible global TV audience of 180 million in more than 200 territories, according to UEFA.

3. The UEFA European Championship Final

The Euros, set for France next year, take the third spot. UEFA said 2012’s final was viewed by 299 million people as Spain thrashed Italy 4-0.

2. Cricket World Cup Final

Around one billion people tuned in to watch Australia beat New Zealand by 7 wickets in the 50-over format in February this year, according to the Telegraph.

1. The World Cup Final

Football dominates the top five, also nabbing the top spot. FIFA’s international tournament naturally attracted the biggest TV figures, and more than one billion people saw Germany’s 1-0 extra time win over Argentina last summer, according to the Mail.