THE glittering Champions League trophy will stop off at a Newport school, Friars Walk and Cwmbran Stadium during a tour of Wales next month.

The UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, June 3, will be held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, with 170,000 fans expected to travel to the capital for the event.

And in the weeks ahead of the big game the trophy will be going on a tour of Wales, with first minister Carwyn Jones and UEFA ambassador Ian Rush travelling to Switzerland to claim the iconic silverware following the semi-final draw on Friday, April 21.

Later the same day the trophy will arrive in Wales with a procession from Cardiff Castle to the Principality Stadium, beginning at 4.45pm, before embarking on a two and a half-week trip around Wales.

Youngsters at Llanwern High School in Hartridge Farm Road will be the first in the city to get a close look at the trophy when it visits the site on Monday, May 8. Later the same afternoon it will be on show at Friars Walk from 2pm until 4pm, before visiting Cwmbran stadium between 6pm and 8pm.

The trophy will arrive back in Cardiff the next day, where it will go on show ahead of the final the next month.

A spokesman for the Football Association of Wales (FAW) said: “In previous years, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA women’s Champions League trophies remain in the host city for the duration, but the FAW recognises that events of this scale have the ability to engage the entire nation.

“A programme of community engagement initiatives have been organised, including a downloadable education resource for teachers, a This is Welsh Football grassroots photo competition, creative workshops and football activity across the country.”

A four-day festival will be held in Wales from Thursday, June 1 to Sunday, June 4, with roads and rail predicted to be extremely congested, especially on the day of the final itself.

Hotels across Gwent and in Cardiff are almost entirely booked already.

Wales will also host the women’s Champions League final at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, June 1.