Bucharest to host 2028 Europa League final

The UEFA Executive Committee decided on Tuesday that the 2028 Europa League final will be held in Bucharest at the National Arena, the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) announced in a press release published on its official website, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

“Today, September 15, the UEFA Executive Committee officially designated Bucharest and the National Arena as the hosts of the 2028 UEFA Europa League Final. The decision reaffirms Romania’s ability to organize major sporting events at the highest continental level. Following a thorough assessment of the bids submitted by the candidate federations, the governing body in Nyon placed its trust in Romania’s capital. The National Arena will once again become a stage for European football celebrations in 2028, 16 years after hosting its first UEFA final in 2012 and following the successful organization of matches at EURO 2020 and the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship,” the statement said.

FRF President Răzvan Burleanu said that awarding the Europa League final to Bucharest represents a sign of confidence from UEFA.

“Hosting the Europa League final in Bucharest represents the strongest possible vote of confidence from the UEFA president and my colleagues on the UEFA Executive Committee in the development strategy we have proposed for professional club football in Romania. It is a unique window of opportunity for professional football in our country to enter a period of accelerated development in the coming years and to fully realize its sporting, business and social potential.

“The designation of Bucharest also represents a major sports diplomacy event that will strengthen Romania’s national brand. This victory is another confirmation that when there is a shared vision, professionalism and exemplary institutional cooperation, Romania can win the most important international projects,” Burleanu said.

The FRF publicly thanked the Romanian government and the Bucharest City Hall for their support of the project.

“The success of this bid was made possible by a joint effort and outstanding institutional cooperation. On this occasion, the Romanian Football Federation thanks the strategic partners in this project: the Government of Romania and the Bucharest City Hall. Through the establishment of a dedicated interministerial committee and the continuous support provided throughout the process of preparing the bid, the central and local authorities demonstrated that supporting elite sport and sports infrastructure can be a national priority,” the federation said.

The FRF leadership said that hosting the European final in 2028 would become a benchmark project for Central and Eastern Europe.

“The integrated Football–Community–Business–Sustainability project, which formed the basis of our bid, will transform the organization of this final into a benchmark model for Central and Eastern Europe, generating long-term economic, social and reputational benefits for the entire community.

“The FRF team, which has experience in organizing major sporting events, including EURO 2020, EURO U21 2023 and EURO U19 2025, will begin preparations as soon as possible alongside UEFA specialists to guarantee a memorable experience for all supporters and official delegations arriving in Bucharest,” the statement added.

The 2027 Europa League final will be held in Frankfurt, while the 2029 final will take place in Belgrade, according to UEFA’s decision.

The Champions League finals will be held in Madrid in 2027, Munich in 2028 and Barcelona in 2029.

As for UEFA’s third-tier European club competition, the Conference League, the finals over the next three years will be held in Istanbul, Turin and Budapest, respectively.

The UEFA Super Cup will take place in Amsterdam in 2027 and Astana in 2028.

The National Arena previously hosted the Europa League final in 2012, when Atlético Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3–0.

Photo: Chat GPT