The race to host the finals of Europe’s club football competitions is heating up, with two of France’s premier cities submitting bids for the flagship event. The UEFA Europa League Final in both 2028 and 2029 has drawn strong interest, as the French football authorities put forward the cities of Décines‑Charpieu (home of Olympique Lyonnais) and Paris (via Parc des Princes) as candidates, alongside rivals from Italy, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
According to figures released by the governing body UEFA, the bidding procedure for the 2028 and 2029 finals began on 11 July 2025, with an initial expression of interest phase closing on 22 October 2025. Final bid dossiers are to be submitted by 10 June 2026, with the host decisions expected in September 2026.
For the Europa League final in 2028, the candidate list confirmed by UEFA includes: France (Lyon or Paris), Italy (Turin), Romania (Bucharest) and Serbia (Belgrade). For 2029, the interest list adds Turkey (Ankara) alongside the aforementioned French, Italian and Romanian entries.
In a parallel competition, the UEFA Europa Conference League Final for 2028 and 2029 has also attracted strong bids. France’s Villeneuve‑d’Ascq (via Stade Pierre‑Mauroy in Lille) is among the candidates, competing with venues in Hungary (Budapest), Italy (Turin), Kazakhstan (Astana/Almaty) and Poland (Gdańsk) for the 2028 edition. For 2029 the list includes Finland (Helsinki), Hungary (Budapest), Italy (Turin), Kazakhstan and Poland.
These bidding efforts reflect UEFA’s broader strategy of rotating major club-finals across its member associations, giving different cities the chance to host showcases of European football. The competing cities now enter a phase of detailed dossier preparation, covering stadium infrastructure, transportation links, fan experience, security and legacy impact. In the coming months, each bid will be scrutinised, and the final host selections will be revealed in a landmark decision in autumn 2026.
