While football across much of Europe has drawn to a close for the summer, there remains the small matter of the UEFA Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday evening, to be contested between Italy's Juventus and defending champions Real Madrid of Spain. But how will football fans the world over be watching the showpiece event, and who in particular will they be looking out for?

A global event

The Champions League trophy / CFP Photo‍

The Champions League final is the pinnacle of European club football, and attracts viewers from all over the world. An estimated 180 million people in over 200 countries tuned in to watch the 2015 final, and with the squads of Real Madrid and Juventus comprising players from 17 different nations, this year is likely to be no exception. 

But while a Saturday evening kick-off at 7:45 pm local time might be ideal for viewers in Europe, those tuning in from further overseas may have to watch at a considerably more awkward hour. CGTN takes a look at how fans from different corners of the world will be watching Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Gonzalo Higuain strut their stuff on the biggest stage of all.

Asia-Pacific

Chinese Real Madrid fans at a match in Shanghai in July 2015. / CFP Photo

With a time zone seven hours ahead of British Summer Time (BST), viewers across China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore will either have to stay up very late or wake up very early, with the match kicking off at 2:45 am local time on Sunday morning. For those in South Korea and Japan, it starts at 3:45 am, and spare a thought for fans in New Zealand, who will be sitting down to watch the game at 7:45 am.

 However, football devotees in the Asia-Pacific region can at least take comfort from the fact that the final takes place over a weekend. The Champions League’s previous rounds all kick off on weekday evenings in Europe, meaning a very early alarm call for Asia-Pacific fans and a few too many bleary eyes at work the following day. 

But it seems the anti-social viewing hours aren’t putting too many supporters off. In China alone last year, the number of people following the UEFA Champions League’s official Weibo page exceeded 2 million.

North & South America

Argentinian fans will be hoping Gonzalo Higuain (L) can fire Juventus to glory in Saturday's final. / CFP Photo

While Champions League fans across Asia will have to endure a rather long night of waiting for the game to start, their counterparts in North and South America have a relatively cushy deal, with the match airing between early and mid-afternoon on Saturday. 

South American footballers typically feature heavily in teams from Italy and Spain, and this year’s final is likely to prove especially popular for Brazilian fans, with no fewer than six of their compatriots turning out for either Real Madrid or Juventus. 

Meanwhile, supporters in Argentina will likely be hoping that their fellow countrymen Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala can fire Juve to glory on Saturday, with Colombia’s Juan Cuadrado also likely to play a key role for the Turin side.

Africa

Juventus's Kwadwo Asamoah is a big draw in his native Ghana  / CFP Final

The European game has always been popular in Africa, and fans in recent years have been able to cheer on the likes of Cote d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, and Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o, all of whom have played in Champions League-winning sides since 2009.

African interest in this year’s event comes in the form of Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, who commands a sizeable following in his native Ghana. Other notable Africans to have plied their trade at the Turin side include fellow Ghanaian Stephan Appiah and Mali’s Mohamed Sissoko. 

Not to be outdone, Real Madrid have also had a sizeable African contingent over the years, with Ghana’s Michael Essien, the Togolese Emmanuel Adebayor, and Mahamadou Diarra of Mali all having played for Los Blancos since 2011.