UEFA will move this year's Champions League final from St Petersburg in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Thursday.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee on Friday morning and it is expected to agree on moving the final.

The Champions League final, the showcase match in European club football, was set to be held at Zenit St Petersburg's stadium on May 28 - an event that would have normally drawn thousands of fans from across the continent.

The stadium is known as the Gazprom Stadium after a sponsorship deal with Russia’s state energy company, which also sponsors UEFA's Champions League and UEFA's Euro 2024 national team competition.

"Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA President has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for Friday 25 February at 10:00 CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions," UEFA said in a statement.

Zenit St Petersburg are in action in the Europa League on Thursday, playing in Spain against Real Betis, and UEFA said that game will not be impacted.

"UEFA can confirm that all tonight’s games will be played as scheduled," the organisation said.

A group of European lawmakers wrote to UEFA on Thursday, asking it to change the venue and to stop considering Russian cities for international football competitions.

The 2023 Champions League final is due to be held in Istanbul with Wembley in London hosting the following year and Munich's Allianz Arena the venue for the final in 2025.

Playoff match with Russia 'almost unthinkable', says Swedish FA boss

A 2022 World Cup playoff match in Russia is "almost unthinkable" at the moment, the chairman of the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) told Reuters following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Thursday.

Sweden are due to face the Czech Republic in a World Cup playoff Group B match on March 24, with the victor meeting the winner of the other group game between Poland and Russia.

Wins for Sweden and Russia would mean the two sides meeting in Russia on March 29, with a place at the Qatar World Cup at stake.

“It's a possible scenario ... spontaneously around the feelings we have as we wake up this morning are that it is almost unthinkable that we in a few weeks would play a football match in Russia,” Karl-Erik Nilsson told Reuters.

“As it looks here and now, today, there is absolutely no desire to play a football match in Russia,” he added.

Nilsson said that he had not been in touch with his contacts in Ukraine following the overnight attacks.

“Out thoughts go to our friends in Ukraine over the situation they woke up to today, it's awful. Football should be seen as something of less importance in the middle of this inferno,” he said.

The 64-year-old former referee stopped short of demanding that the Russians be kicked out of the World Cup entirely.

“I believe that (in these situations) much is called for very quickly - we will need to live and socialise even in the future, and I think we shouldn't be too quick with solutions,” he explained.

“Instead, we should take our time and see what actions are needed, For the moment we are looking forward to arms being laid down and that peace and freedom come into existence.”

The Swedish football boss said that the desires of the Ukrainians themselves should guide football's response.

“It's important that the requests come from Ukraine,” Nilsson said.

“At the moment they have a lot more to think about than football, but a future will arrive one day and we mush show solidarity with our football friends around Europe,” he said.