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Ireland's Bid for 2029 Women's Champions League Final Falls Short
Ireland’s hopes of staging a landmark night for the women’s game have been dashed, with UEFA handing the 2029 Women’s Champions League final to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium ahead of Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
The decision came at Tuesday’s UEFA Executive Committee meeting, where the venue for the showpiece was one of the headline calls. The Aviva had made the final shortlist, pitched against Cardiff, Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France and Basel’s St Jakob-Park, but the bid fell just short.
For the FAI, it stings. Dublin has proved itself on major European nights, hosting the men’s Europa League finals in 2011 and again this year in 2024, and with seven games pencilled in for Euro 2028, the association had targeted another blue-riband event to cement the city’s status on the continental stage. Instead, the prize crosses the Irish Sea.
FAI CEO David Courell struck a diplomatic tone in the aftermath.
“Congratulations to the Football Association of Wales on their successful bid for Cardiff to host the 2029 UEFA Women's Champions League final and thank you to UEFA for its positive feedback on the association's bid,” he said.
Courell underlined that the failed bid will not derail the association’s broader strategy.
“The FAI's ambition to host this final was part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the development of women and girls' football and that will continue with participation levels at an all-time high, as well as more female coaches, match officials, administrators and volunteers helping to drive the game forward.”
Across the border, it is a statement victory for Welsh football – and, in particular, for Limerick native Noel Mooney, now chief executive of the Football Association of Wales. For him, this is not just about one glamorous evening in 2029.
“This is about much more than one night in 2029,” Mooney said.
“Our ambition is for the UEFA Women's Champions League final to become a catalyst for the continued transformation of women’s and girls’ football in Wales.
“Welsh football has made incredible progress. We have more than 20,000 women and girls playing the game, a growing domestic structure through the Adran Leagues and a Cymru team that has now competed on the major tournament stage. Bringing this final to Wales gives us another opportunity to accelerate that progress.”
Cardiff’s win comes on a day of major venue announcements from UEFA. The governing body confirmed that the Men’s Champions League finals in 2028 and 2029 will go to Munich’s Allianz Arena and Barcelona’s Nou Camp respectively. The 2028 Women’s Champions League final will be staged at Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon, a city steeped in the recent history of the women’s game.
While Ireland must wait for another chance to host a women’s club showpiece, UEFA’s Executive Committee did deliver news that could shape the Republic’s competitive landscape much sooner.
Nations League shake-up
Changes to the UEFA Nations League format from 2026/27 were signed off, with a major restructuring from 2028/29. The competition will be slimmed down from four leagues to three, with significant knock-on effects for countries like the Republic of Ireland.
Most immediately, there is a safety net. If Ireland finish bottom of their Nations League group in League B this year, they will no longer be relegated automatically. Instead, they will head into a play-off to try to preserve their status.
It could prove crucial. The Boys in Green begin their campaign against Kosovo on Thursday, 24 September, with Israel and Austria completing what looks a testing group. Every point, every goal, will now feed into a more complex promotion and relegation picture.
Under the new structure, the League A/B play-offs will feature the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams from League A and the two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams from League A, who will face the four runners-up from League B. The winners of those ties will play in League A, the defeated sides in League B.
At the other end of the ladder, the League B/C play-offs will pit the four fourth-placed teams from League B against the four runners-up from League C. Win, and you secure a place in League B; lose, and you drop into League C.
The four group winners in League B will be promoted to League A. The two lowest-ranked fourth-placed sides in League A will be relegated to League B. League C group winners will climb into League B, while the four winners of the League B/C play-off ties also join them there. The four losing teams from those ties will line up in League C.
One tier disappears entirely. With League D scrapped, all current League D teams will be promoted to League C as the competition reshapes itself.
From 2028/29 onwards, the Nations League will consist of three leagues of 18 teams each. Every league will be split into three groups of six, with each side playing six matches against five different opponents: home or away against teams from different seeding pots, and home and away against the team drawn from their own pot.
It is a bolder, denser format, designed to pack more meaningful games into every window. For Ireland, it raises the stakes but also offers fresh routes to climb – or fall.
The next moves will be plotted in Belfast. The UEFA Executive Committee reconvenes there on 7 December, one day after the Euro 2028 qualifying draw in the same city. By then, Ireland will know exactly where they stand in this new Nations League world – and how much room there is left to manoeuvre.
