Spotify Camp Nou and Wembley vie for 2029 Champions League final

UEFA closed the bidding process for the 2029 Champions League final on Wednesday, leaving only Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona and Wembley Stadium in England as candidates. The winner will be revealed on 15 September at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece. Barcelona submitted a bid that hinges on the completion of the Spotify Camp Nou redevelopment by 2029. The new stadium is projected to hold about 104,600 spectators and feature roughly 9,000 VIP seats, a key revenue element for UEFA. The bid is supported by the Spanish government, the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council and the Royal Spanish Football Federation, and is presented as a milestone of the Espai Barca project. The timing aligns with the 2030 World Cup, which Camp Nou also hopes to host, placing the Champions League final one year before that tournament. Wembley Stadium remains a strong contender, having hosted multiple Champions League finals in its current and previous incarnations. UEFA is familiar with the London venue and may favour the known option over the newly rebuilt Camp Nou. Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano will host the 2027 final, which could make UEFA hesitant to award another men’s Champions League final to Spain only two years later. Nonetheless, Camp Nou is now one of only two remaining candidates. Photo credit for the Camp Nou image goes to Eric Alonso; the Wembley picture is by Paul Harding.