Dublin wants the 2029 UEFA Women's Champions League Final — and the FAI has now made that official, submitting a formal bid to bring the showpiece to Aviva Stadium. UEFA makes the call in September.
FAI CEO David Courell didn't hold back: "We believe this would be the best Final in the competition's history." Bold claim. But Dublin has some genuine track record to lean on — the city hosted the men's Europa League finals in both 2011 and 2024, and has seven games pencilled in for Euro 2028. This isn't a first-timer making a speculative pitch.
Why Dublin's case is stronger than it looks
The FAI's bid comes with government backing through the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, plus Dublin City Council. That institutional support matters when UEFA evaluates these things — it's not just about the stadium, it's about the whole operation around it.
The women's game angle is where this gets genuinely interesting. Ireland's women's national team drew 241,987 fans across home games in the last three years. Participation in women's football has jumped 79% since 2023. Hosting a Champions League final wouldn't just be a prestige event — it could accelerate a trend that's already moving fast.
There's also a personal connection. Four Irish women have won the Women's Champions League — Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant, Yvonne Tracy, and Katie McCabe — and 11 Irish clubs have competed in qualifying rounds since the competition launched. This isn't a country trying to buy its way onto the women's football map. It's already on it.
The competition
Dublin isn't alone in this. Three other venues declared interest back in October: Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France, and St. Jakob-Park in Basel. Lyon is the obvious heavyweight — it's practically the spiritual home of European women's club football. Cardiff and Basel bring their own strong stadium credentials.
So Dublin is competing against serious operators. But the bid has shape, political support, and a domestic women's football story that's moving in the right direction. Whether UEFA agrees is another matter entirely — and that answer comes in September.
