Barcelona wins bid over Wembley to host 2029 Champions League final

UEFA announced on Tuesday 14 September that the renovated Camp Nou in Barcelona has been selected over London’s Wembley to host the 2029 Champions League final, giving the Spanish club a marquee match a year before Spain co‑hosts the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco.

Bidding battle pits Barcelona against rivals

The decision pits Barcelona against the renovated Santiago Bernabéu of Real Madrid and a 115,000‑seat stadium under construction in Casablanca, underscoring the fierce competition for the prestigious event. UEFA highlighted that the choice reflects both capacity and modern facilities.

The renovated Camp Nou, with a capacity for 105,000 spectators, is still under construction; the upper tier and roof remain unfinished. A panoramic view of the Camp Nou – "Panorámica del Camp Nou" – was featured in the AP release, which also listed "Añadir como fuente preferida en Google" as the preferred source.

UEFA outlines venues for upcoming finals

UEFA also confirmed that the 2028 Champions League final will return to the stadium of Bayern Münich, the sole bidder, just three years after the 2025 edition. Meanwhile, Olympique Lyon will host the women’s final in 2028, and Cardiff’s national stadium will stage the 2029 final, set to open the 2028 men’s European Championship.

Other UEFA competitions have their venues set: the 2028 Europa League final will be played at the national stadium in Bucharest, Romania, and the 2029 edition will move to a new national stadium being built outside Belgrade, Serbia. The Europa League final this season will take place at the Waldstadion, home of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Barcelona reach major Camp Nou milestone as roof frame takes shape

The current Champions League final will be contested in Madrid at the Estadio Metropolitano of Atlético de Madrid, marking the second final at the venue in the last ten years after the 2019 showdown.

Barcelona last hosted the Champions League final in 1999, when two Manchester United goals in added time stunned a dominant Bayern side. Wembley has hosted the final three times since then – in 2011, 2013 and 2024 – and eight times overall since the competition began 71 years ago.

The UEFA decision arrived nine days after players and fans of Red Star Belgrade and Partizan paid tribute to the late war criminal Ratko Mladic in a match at the city’s main stadium, prompting UEFA to fine Red Star for the chants.

Turin will host the 2028 Conference League final at the Juventus stadium, while the 2029 final will be held at Budapest’s Puskás Arena, which seats 67,000 and hosted the Champions League final in May. The success of the Conference League since its 2021 launch has seen its finals move to venues exceeding 20,000 seats, after earlier finals in Tirana, Albania, and Prague, Czech Republic.