Behind the scenes: Europa League final

Sevilla lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy for a record seventh time with a penalty shoot-out victory over Roma, but for UEFA project leader Rémi Decouacon and his colleagues, planning for the showpiece started long before a ball was kicked at Budapest's Puskás Arena on 31 May.

This piece, presented by Engelbert Strauss, offers a fascinating insight into the preparations that went into staging the 2023 final.

Previous visits to Hungary's national stadium gave Decouacon and his colleagues a head start when it came to preparing the arena for the grand occasion. "We've organised a few matches already here in the past – the Super Cup in 2020 and EURO 2020 – so it's a very well-known stadium," he said. Even so, nothing is left to chance.

"We arrive in Budapest one week before the game," said media operations specialist Ben Gladwell. "We've then got three or four days to prepare the facilities, make sure everything's in place. A lot of work goes into that in the year before the final, but then it's [about] putting the finishing touches to it."

Match operations manager Domenico Tropea making sure everything runs smoothly in BudapestUEFA via Getty Images

On the day of the game, live music, a legends game and selfie opportunities with the Europa League trophy were among the activities on offer at the fan festival. One of the biggest logistical quandaries, however, was the opening ceremony, which involved approximately 200 people as well as enormous props of various shapes and sizes. "Bringing all those elements together on the day is a big challenge because of the space required," explained ceremonies specialist Stacey Griffin.

There are other challenges, too. "We have about 200 people that, in a very short time frame, need to put all the pieces together, learn a choreography, understand their stage movements and be ready to rehearse on the pitch," said ceremonies manager Flavia Muratori, adding that the atmosphere of anticipation during the ceremony itself makes the hard work worthwhile. "[The fans] are excited because kick-off is almost happening. You hear it. You have goosebumps all the time."

The pre-match ceremony involved approximately 200 peopleAFP via Getty Images

The final proved to be a thrilling affair, with Sevilla clinching a record-extending seventh title in a nerve-jangling shoot-out. For Decouacon and his colleagues, though, the hard work did not stop there. "We start [again] straight after the final whistle," he said. "We start removing all the signage and branding around the venue itself overnight, to make sure that within two days – or three days maximum – we're out of the venue."

Needless to say, preparations for the 2024 showpiece in Dublin are already in full swing.