Euronews caught up with the football fans who were invited to stay in the homes of some residents in Kyiv.
ADVERTISEMENTDue to overpriced hotels, many Real Madrid and Liverpool supporters going to the Champions League final on Saturday night will be staying with Kyiv families for free.
Residents of the Ukrainian capital have opened their homes to strangers who had their reservations canceled at the last minute and were unable to afford the exaggerated prices.
The Facebook group Kyiv FREE couch for football fans 26/05/18 offers free accommodation for supporters in a need of a place to stay and nine thousand people have joined it since it was launched at the beginning of the month.
Families hosting the football fans sent Euronews journalist Natalia Liubchenkova pictures with their guests.
Others like Igor Krykun went to pick up his guests at the airport as taxi prices also went up.
However, some hosts were left waiting for their foreign guests who never arrived. Some say they got stuck in airports because of canceled flights while others found accommodation elsewhere.
Emil Pernaty, who was left waiting for her guest who never arrived, shared on social media a picture of a traditional Ukrainian dish he had prepared for the special occasion.
But despite the few hosts who were left without meeting their guests, most of the foreigners coming to Kyiv to watch the game were grateful to locals who opened their homes to them.
Icelandic Liverpool fan Kristofer Arnar Einarsson regrets that he cannot stay in Kyiv longer and hopes to return again. He has found free accommodation through the group. "What a great initiative. The amazing power of social media and generosity of the people of Kyiv," he said.
Another Liverpool fan Mike Fallon said: "We have been offered plenty of places from very kind people. We haven’t taken up the offers as we have changed our plans. We are now driving across in a motorhome. However, I have received some priceless information from the kind people of Kyiv."