It is arguably the largest sporting event in the world since the Covid-19 pandemic, with eight of Europe’s leading club soccer teams set to take place over a 12-day period in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

The European Champions League winner will be crowned in the final on 23 August.

But while millions of viewers will turn on television to watch the action from Wednesday night, you will be forgiven for walking the streets of Lisbon and not even realizing some of the world’s top footballers are in action.

There are no billboards welcoming you and very little marketing has been done.

There are no fan spots for fans, no posters announcing the star players and no packed hotels.

No spectators are allowed at matches and even the media is very restricted. Restaurants and bars will not overflow.

There will also be no party for the people of Lisbon.

Alcohol may not be used in public and restaurants close at 23:00.

Wearing masks is compulsory and the use of public transport and large gatherings is discouraged.

Even those who just want to see one of the big names in world football walk down the street will be disappointed.

The teams live in bio-bubbles in their hotels and training facilities.

In the hotels they have private routes to their own dining rooms.

With no spectators to worry about, the Portuguese police focus on creating a safe environment for the players rather than looking out for the troublemakers.

There is a chance that fans of teams that reach the final may travel to Portugal rather than just sit at home and watch it on television. Due to television rights, the organizers, UEFA, decided to complete the season.

The Euro2020 tournament for national teams has already been postponed by a year and UEFA could hardly afford to give up this nest egg with the Champions League as well.

There are now no home and away matches as is usually the case in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, and if matches end in a draw, additional playing time and a penalty shootout will be used to determine a winner.

The knockout matches for the European League, the competition one level lower than the Champions League, are decided on a similar basis in Germany and matches are played on the rest days of the Champions League.

The first match in the Champions League is on Wednesday night between Paris St. Germain from France and the Italian club Atalanta. On Friday there is a big match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona.