Marton Kasnyik and Zoltan SimonMay 31, 2026 – 5.26pmThe European Champions League final on the weekend was supposed to showcase Viktor Orban as one of football’s great patrons in the state-of-the-art $US620 million ($860 million) stadium he built in Budapest.Some 61,035 fans gathered at the Puskas arena for the match and an estimated 150 million around the world watched the broadcast to see Paris Saint-Germain defeat Arsenal in a penalty shoot-out.BloombergSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Champions League final reveals Orban’s love for football
The former Hungarian president’s beloved sport is emblematic of his system of subsidies and cronyism that drained billions from a country now faced with the cost.
TL;DRAI
PSG beat Arsenal on penalties at Budapest's Puskas Arena ($620M, state-built under Orbán), drawing 61,035 on-site fans and an estimated 150M global viewers. Orbán's model — sovereign capital into flagship sports venues as soft-power asset — is now a benchmark for governments competing on infrastructure-driven geopolitical influence.
92 words~1 min read
