Barcelona finalising bid to host 2029 Champions League final; Wembley emerges as sole rival | OneFootball

Barcelona’s ambition to host the 2029 UEFA Champions League final at the Spotify Camp Nou is entering its decisive phase, with the club racing to complete all documentation ahead of this Wednesday’s submission deadline.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are finalising the details of their official bid dossier and plan to submit it to UEFA either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Their bid is backed by the support of the Spanish Government, the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and the RFEF.

A two-horse race

The full Camp Nou project is still yet to be completed. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barring any surprises, the competition for the 2029 final appears to have narrowed to two candidates – the Spotify Camp Nou and London’s Wembley Stadium.

UEFA will make the final decision on September 15th at the Executive Committee meeting.

Barcelona’s case is built around what will be the largest stadium in Europe, with a planned capacity of 104,600 spectators once the renovation is complete.

The city’s infrastructure, institutional backing and the stadium’s historic status all form part of the dossier being prepared.

A historic occasion in the making

Should Barcelona win the bid, the Spotify Camp Nou would be hosting the Champions League final for the third time in its history.

Camp Nou hasn’t hosted a UCL final in the 21st century. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The previous two occasions were the 1989 final between Milan and Steaua Bucharest, won 4-0 by the Italian side, and the iconic 1999 final in which Manchester United defeated Bayern Munich 2-1 in the most dramatic of circumstances.

Wembley, by contrast, has hosted eight finals and would be making it nine with a successful bid.

One potential complication for Barcelona’s case is that the 2027 final is already scheduled to be held in Spain, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 5th.

Whether UEFA will be willing to return to the same country just two years later remains one of the key questions ahead of the September decision.