Camp Nou to host Champions League final for first time in 30 years, Allianz Arena to stage in 2028

Barcelona’s Camp Nou will host the men’s Champions League final for the first time in 30 years after being confirmed as the venue for the 2029 showpiece event.

Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena will stage the 2028 final, as UEFA confirmed the hosts for a selection of events during its executive committee meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece on Tuesday,

Lyon’s Groupama Stadium will hold the women’s Champions League final in 2028, followed by Wales’ national stadium, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, in 2029.

Camp Nou last staged the Champions League final in 1999, hosting Manchester United’s iconic late comeback against Bayern Munich.

The stadium has undergone a lengthy and delayed renovation, which remains ongoing and is set to increase the capacity to 105,000, up from 99,354. The renovation resulted in Barcelona playing away from Camp Nou at Montjuic for two seasons before returning with a reduced capacity in November 2025.

It will mark the third time Camp Nou has hosted the men’s Champions League final, having also staged the event in 1989.

The Allianz Arena will also hold the Champions League final for the third time, after staging Chelsea’s 2012 win over Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 victory over Inter in 2025.

Lyon are the most successful team in women’s Champions League history with eight titles but 2028 will be the first time the club’s home has hosted the final.

It also marks the first time the Principality Stadium has staged the women’s Champions League final. The Cardiff City stadium instead hosted the 2016 final, the same year that the Principality Stadium held the men’s showpiece.

The National Arena in Bucharest, Romania will host the 2028 Europa League final while the National Stadium Serbia in Belgrade, which is currently under construction, will stage it in 2029.

Juventus’ Allianz Stadium has been selected as the venue for the 2028 Conference League final, followed by Puskas Arena in Budapest in 2029.

The UEFA Super Cup hosts for 2027 and 2028 were also announced, with Ajax’s Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam and Astana Arena in Kazakhstan chosen.

---

What does this mean for Barca?

Analysis by Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballús

The 2029 Champions League final in Barcelona will be the cherry on top of club president Joan Laporta’s ambitious project to refurbish the Camp Nou. It is also a decision that illustrates how the relationship between UEFA and the Catalan club has changed.

Once its refurbishment is complete, the Camp Nou is expected to be one of the best grounds in Europe — those at the club hope this will be in time for the 2028 final — and certainly the one with the biggest capacity, at around 105,000 people. These are all excellent arguments for it to become the venue of a European final. However, it is impossible to dissociate UEFA’s decision from the moment Joan Laporta decided to step away from the Super League project, back in February.

Barcelona’s departure from the Super League left Real Madrid alone in their attempt to reshape European football and reduced the threat that the project posed to the status quo. This also enabled Laporta to improve his previously tense relationship with UEFA and its president, Aleksander Ceferin.

Barca were granted permission to play Champions League matches at the Camp Nou again last season, while the stadium is still under construction. In February, the Catalan club was also readmitted to the European Clubs Association (ECA).

Awarding a Champions League final to the city feels like a new step in a repaired relationship that benefits everyone involved. UEFA will host their biggest game in a fantastic city with a stadium that will ensure plenty of ticket sales and business opportunities, while Laporta will secure the Camp Nou, the crown jewel of tenure, as a financial stalwart for Barcelona.