Barcelona’s renovated Camp Nou will host the 2029 UEFA Champions League final, UEFA announced Tuesday, beating London’s Wembley Stadium to stage European football’s biggest club game.
UEFA’s executive committee selected Spotify Camp Nou during its meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece, awarding the final to Barcelona for the first time in 30 years. The match is scheduled for June 2, 2029.
The decision gives Barcelona a major international sporting event a year before Spain joins Portugal and Morocco in hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The 104,000-plus-seat Camp Nou is undergoing a major redevelopment that has been repeatedly delayed, with the upper tier and roof still under construction.
Once completed, the stadium is expected to become one of Europe’s largest football venues and offer expanded hospitality, accessibility and technology.
Barcelona last hosted the Champions League final in 1999, when Manchester United produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in the competition's history, scoring twice in stoppage time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1.
The stadium also hosted the 1989 European Cup final, when AC Milan defeated Steaua Bucharest 4-0.
Wembley, meanwhile, has hosted three Champions League finals since 1999, in 2011, 2013 and 2024. It has staged the European Cup final eight times since the competition began in 1955.
Barcelona's successful bid was submitted jointly by the club, Barcelona City Council and the Catalan government, with support from the Spanish Football Federation and the city's hospitality sector.
UEFA said Camp Nou's size and hospitality facilities were key strengths of the bid. Recent Champions League finals have generally been awarded to stadiums with capacities above 70,000, making the rebuilt Camp Nou's more than 104,000 seats a significant advantage.
"This is an immense source of pride for FC Barcelona and for all Barça supporters," Barcelona president Joan Laporta said.
Laporta described the decision as international recognition for the rebuilt stadium and thanked Barcelona's city and regional authorities, as well as the Spanish federation, for supporting the bid.
The 2029 final will also provide a major showcase for Barcelona and Catalonia, with the city expecting the event to generate significant international exposure and economic benefits.
UEFA also confirmed that the 2028 Champions League final will be played at Bayern Munich's stadium. The German venue was the only bidder and will host the final just three years after staging the 2025 edition.
This season's Champions League final will be held in Madrid at Atletico Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium.
UEFA also awarded the 2028 and 2029 finals of the Europa League to Bucharest and Belgrade, respectively.
Bucharest's National Arena will host the 2028 final, while the 2029 showpiece will be played at Serbia's new national stadium, currently under construction on the outskirts of Belgrade.
The decision comes amid growing UEFA ties with Serbian football, which will co-host next year's European Under-21 Championship with Albania.
Serbia's selection comes just days after supporters of Belgrade's two biggest clubs, Red Star and Partizan, paid tribute to convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic during a match at the city's current national stadium. Mladic died last month in The Hague.
UEFA fined Red Star earlier this month after supporters chanted in Mladic's honor during a Europa League match on the day of his death.
The current Europa League final will be played at Eintracht Frankfurt's Waldstadion.
UEFA selected Lyon to host the 2028 Women's Champions League final, giving the competition's record eight-time winners a chance to stage the showpiece in their home city.
Cardiff was chosen for the 2029 Women's Champions League final at the national stadium in the Welsh capital. The venue will also host the opening match of the 2028 European Championship.
Turin will stage the 2028 Conference League final at Juventus' stadium, while Budapest's 67,000-seat Puskas Arena will host the 2029 final.
The Conference League has steadily grown since its launch in 2021. Its first two finals were played at much smaller venues in Tirana, Albania, and Prague, but UEFA has increasingly moved the competition's title match into larger stadiums.
