For the first time in a long time, Ford will sell the Mustang to European customers without making them jump through all sorts of gray market hoops. This signifies the branding of the 2015 Mustang as a truly global product, bringing it into alignment with the “One Ford” plan set out by soon-to-retire CEO Alan Mulally. This is a very big deal for a continent that as a whole wants the Mustang more than any other car.

Buyers are already lining up to pre-order a ’15 even before it’s pricing is announced, and Ford is doing something special for the first 500 European Mustang buyers. On the 24th of May Ford will open 2015 Mustang pre-orders at the UEFA Champions League Finals. That’s a soccer game, which we heard is pretty big over in Europe.

The UEFA Champion League Finals is pretty much the pinnacle of soccer events in Europe, where all of the Old World’s best teams and players come together in a battle of “football” the likes of which America doesn’t understand. Ford will be on hand with the 2015 Mustang to take the first 500 pre-orders. We imagine it won’t take very long for Europe to snatch those Mustangs up.

It makes us wonder if Ford perhaps has a special edition planned for early adopters of the 2015 Mustang? 500 is a very specific number, and could denote a special edition aimed at eager European buyers who just can’t wait to add a Mustang to their collection. Pricing hasn’t even been announced yet, but for anybody who can afford a Mustang in Europe, price probably isn’t much of an issue.

So that leaves us wondering, when does American pre-ordering open?