Camp Nou Gets 2029 Champions League Final as Flick Faces Barça’s Next Decisions

BARCELONA, Spain — UEFA has selected FC Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou to host the 2029 Champions League final, a major milestone in the club’s ongoing stadium renovation project. The decision came as Barcelona manager Hansi Flick prepared for Wednesday’s news conference ahead of the team’s upcoming fixture against Racing Santander.

The final will be the first European showpiece event at the iconic stadium since its extensive modernization through the “Espai Barça” redevelopment initiative. During the multi-year project, Barcelona was forced to play temporary home matches at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuïc hill.

The renovated venue is being expanded to hold 105,000 spectators, while the project also includes a modern retractable roof and updated commercial infrastructure. Flick, whose current Barcelona contract runs through June 2028, was asked whether he expected to be on the touchline when the final takes place in Catalonia.

“I will 100% be at the final in 2029 as a coach or as a Barça fan,” Flick said. “In football you never know. I’m enjoying it, this club and this team are fantastic, but you never know.”

Short-term squad management has also occupied Flick, particularly in midfield after injury setbacks and the arrival of Spanish national team teammate Rodri. Before Tuesday morning’s training session, the manager was seen in an extended private conversation with Gavi, who has played only seven minutes since being removed at half-time during Barcelona’s season-opening match against Elche because of discomfort in his right knee.

Gavi, 20, missed much of the previous two years because of recurring physical issues. In November 2023, the Spain international suffered a complete anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and lateral meniscus damage in his right knee during a European Championship qualifier against Georgia. The injury kept him out for more than 300 days, and after his initial recovery he made only 13 appearances last season because he needed arthroscopic surgery to repair another meniscus issue in the same knee.

The competition for central midfield roles has increased following Rodri’s transfer acquisition, but Flick said Gavi remains part of Barcelona’s plans. “Of course, every player is important to us. We need each of them,” Flick said. “Gavi is ambitious, he wants to play. He started against Elche, then he was injured, but now the team is playing well and he must accept it. You have to manage the minutes. I don’t know what will happen during the season, but we need them all and with a positive mentality.”

Flick also spoke about the attention surrounding individual honors before next month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in London. Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal is one of the three primary candidates, alongside Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane. The winner will succeed former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé, who won the trophy in the previous voting cycle.

The Ballon d’Or campaign has produced media friction across European football. Mbappé attracted public attention after calling himself “the chosen one,” a comment that prompted pushback from his French teammate Dembélé. Yamal has also publicly made his case for winning the award.

Yamal became the youngest player to feature and score for Barcelona in La Liga after making his senior debut at age 15 in April 2023. Flick expressed full support for the winger’s development and self-belief, while wanting the voting process to end so his squad would face fewer distractions.

“He’s young. I’ve said it before. He is honest, he has self-confidence and I like him,” Flick said of Yamal. “And for him this is something important. I will support him because it is impressive to have a player like that; and everyone wants to see him in the stadium, and they murmur when he goes one against one, or one against three.”

“He has the opinion that he deserves it,” Flick added regarding the Ballon d’Or. “I know that there are a huge number of top players and that it is not easy. They will decide and I will be happy when they finish deciding it.”