Race for the 2029 Champions League Final: Wembley or Camp Nou as UEFA Decision Looms

“Camp Nou” could be the stage of the 2029 Champions League final, while UEFA is expected to make its decision this Tuesday in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The UEFA Executive Committee will meet during the morning, from 09:00 to 13:00, to determine the stadiums that will host several of the main finals of European competitions.

Two official bids have been submitted for the 2029 Champions League final: Barcelona’s “Spotify Camp Nou” and London’s “Wembley”. According to reports, the Catalan stadium is seen as the favorite to win the right to host the most important match in European football.

Barcelona’s bid is backed by FC Barcelona, the Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Spanish Football Federation and the Spanish government.

UEFA is aware of the progress of the works at “Camp Nou”. Installation of the new roof is planned for the summer of 2027, while the final works are expected to be completed in early 2028, in the maximum scenario.

The stadium is expected to return as the largest facility in Europe after the full completion of the reconstruction, with a planned capacity of 104,600 spectators, including around 9,400 VIP seats. That capacity would put “Camp Nou” ahead of “Wembley”, which currently has around 90,000 seats.

According to UEFA’s assessments, Barcelona has a significant advantage due to the stadium’s capacity, but also the city’s infrastructure. The large hotel capacity and Barcelona’s international airport are considered strong points of the Catalan bid.

For UEFA, hosting a final in a stadium with more than 100,000 seats is a special attraction, especially given the high demand for tickets for the Champions League final.

The fact that the 2027 final will be played at Madrid’s “Metropolitano” is not seen as an obstacle to the final returning to Spain just two years later.

Meanwhile, the 2028 final is expected to be held at Munich’s “Allianz Arena”, which is the only candidate for that edition.

Barcelona’s stadium has a significant history with the finals of Europe’s most prestigious competition. In 1989, “Camp Nou” hosted the final in which Milan defeated Steaua Bucharest 4-0.

Ten years later, in 1999, the Catalan stadium was the scene of one of the most dramatic finals in Champions League history. Manchester United overturned Bayern Munich with two goals in stoppage time and won 2-1.

Another Champions League final at “Camp Nou” would bring one of the biggest sporting events back to Barcelona’s renovated stadium.

At the Executive Committee meeting in Thessaloniki, the host stadiums for a series of European finals will also be determined.

The UEFA Super Cup for 2027 and 2028. The futsal Champions League final phase for 2027.

In Thessaloniki, a decision will also be made on the 2028 Women’s Champions League final.

The “San Mamés” stadium in Bilbao is one of the candidates, after the great success of the 2024 final, when Barcelona beat Lyon 2-0 in front of 50,827 spectators.

The Basque stadium, with a capacity of around 53,331 seats, competes with Lyon’s “Groupama Stadium”, Basel’s “St. Jakob-Park” and Istanbul’s “RAMS Park”, Galatasaray’s stadium.

The 2028 Women’s Champions League final will be held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.