Champions League Final: Does Bayern Munich's Home Field Advantage Really Matter?

Bayern Munich and Chelsea are set to compete for the UEFA Champions League title in the final on May 19.

For Bayern, it will be a home game, even though the match will officially be played at a neutral site. Because of sponsorship questions, UEFA has been referring to Bayern's Allianz Arena as "Fußball Arena München," but that's just semantics.

With Bayern set for a "home" match in the biggest European club match of the season, it's reasonable to wonder how much the Germans will benefit.

To find out, I researched every European Cup/Champions League final (dating to 1956) and found three examples of teams hosting the final in their own stadium. Eight more times, a team played in their own home country, and I included those results as well.

At the international level, eight World Cup finals have been contested by the hosts. Those results are below, too, along with five European Championship finals.

The results might surprise you, so let's get right to them.

First, here are the three European Cup/Champions League finals with teams playing in their home stadiums.

Year	Venue	"Host"	"Visitor"	Result
1957	Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid	Real Madrid	Fiorentina	2-0
1965	San Siro, Milan	Inter Milan	Benfica	1-0
1984	Stadio Olimpico, Rome	AS Roma	Liverpool	1-1 (2-4 pens)

As you can see, the "hosts" won twice and lost once. In the one loss, Liverpool defeated Roma 4-2 on penalties. Clearly, home-field advantage counts for something in European Cup finals.

Next, here are the eight European finals contested by teams in their home country—though not in their home stadium.

Year	Venue	"Host"	"Visitor"	Result
1956	Parc des Princes, Paris	Stade de Reims	Real Madrid	3-4
1968	Wembley Stadium, London	Manchester United	Benfica	4-1
1972	De Kuip, Rotterdam	Ajax	Inter Milan	2-0
1978	Wembley Stadium, London	Liverpool	Club Brugge	1-0
1986	Estadio Ramon Sanchez, Seville	Barcelona	Steaua	0-0 (0-2 pens)
1996	Stadio Olimpico	Juventus	Ajax	1-1 (4-2 pens)
1997	Olympiastadion, Munich	Borussia Dortmund	Juventus	3-1
2011	Wembley Stadium, London	Manchester United	Barcelona	1-3

Here again, the "hosts" won more often than not, taking five of the eight finals. Together with the previous list, teams playing European finals in their home country have gone 7-4 all-time.

That suggests Bayern should have an advantage, though not as much as some might think.

Next, here are the eight World Cup finals contested by host nations.

Year	Venue	"Host"	"Visitor"	Result
1930	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo	Uruguay	Argentina	4-2
1934	Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome	Italy	Czechoslovakia	2-1
1950	Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Uruguay	1-2
1958	Rasunda Stadium, Solna	Sweden	Brazil	2-5
1966	Wembley Stadium, London	England	West Germany	4-2 (a.e.t.)
1974	Olympiastadion, Munich	West Germany	Netherlands	2-1
1978	Estadio Monumental	Argentina	Netherlands	3-1
1998	Stade de France, Paris	France	Brazil	3-0

In World Cup finals, host nations have won six of eight. That might have more to do with the monumental occasion, but it suggests that home teams perform better in major finals.

Finally, here are the five European Championship finals that have included host nations. The list includes one replay, in 1968.

Year	Venue	"Host"	"Visitor"	Result
1964	Estadio Santiago Bernabeu	Spain	USSR	2-1
1968	Stadio Olimpico	Italy	Yugoslavia	1-1 (a.e.t.)
1968	Stadio Olimpico	Italy	Yugoslavia	2-0
1984	Parc des Princes	France	Spain	2-0
2004	Estadio da Luz	Portugal	Greece	0-1

In five European Championship finals, the hosts have gone 3-1-1. The one tie (Italy vs. Yugoslavia in 1968) was followed by a win in the replay.

Playing at home clearly benefits teams in international finals. Combined, the World Cup and European Championship final hosts have gone 9-3-1.

So, does any of this make any difference for Bayern Munich? Let the argument begin.

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