Barcelona's Nou Camp Secures 2029 Champions League Final Over Wembley
Uefa announced on Tuesday that the upgraded Nou Camp in Barcelona will host the 2029 Champions League final, choosing it over London's Wembley Stadium. This decision gives Barcelona a significant event just a year before Spain co-hosts the 2030 World Cup alongside Portugal and Morocco.
The choice comes as Spain prepares for a major football spotlight, with the 2030 World Cup final expected to be held either at Real Madrid’s revamped Santiago Bernabéu or a new 115,000-seat stadium in Casablanca.
Other Hosting Decisions
Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena will stage the 2028 Champions League final, confirmed by Uefa’s executive committee. This marks a return only three years after it hosted the 2025 final, with Bayern being the sole applicant.
Renovations on the Nou Camp are still ongoing, with work on the top tier and roof unfinished. Barcelona last hosted the final in 1999, famously when Manchester United scored twice in stoppage time to beat Bayern Munich.
Wembley's Hosting History and Recent Disappointments
Wembley Stadium has hosted the Champions League final eight times since the European Cup's inception 71 years ago, including recent finals in 2011, 2013, and 2024. Despite this rich history, Wembley will not hold the 2029 final.
The announcement coincided with news that London also lost its bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Competing cities included Nairobi, Munich, and Rome. Ultimately, Nairobi won the hosting rights, becoming the first African city to stage the championships.
World Athletics Comments on Nairobi's Win
"The interest in hosting our world championships has frankly never been higher," said World Athletics president Seb Coe, praising all four bids as outstanding.
"Taking our championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Nairobi has presented a compelling and emotional bid."
"This is a fast-growing, dynamic, modern metropolis that serves as the economic, cultural, and political hub of East Africa."
"Kenya is one of the great athletics nations. The sport is woven into the fabric of the country, and athletes such as world gold medallists Faith Kipyegon, Vivian Cheruiyot, Eliud Kipchoge, Hellen Obiri and David Rudisha, as well as two-time Olympic champion Kip Keino, multiple world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and multiple world half marathon champion Tegla Loroupe, have shaped the history of our sport."
"It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment to supercharge our sport, leaving a compelling legacy that inspires a continent."
This Season’s Champions League Final
The upcoming final for this season will be hosted at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium.
