Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Monday, 09 February 2026, 11:18 / Updated on Monday, 09 February 2026 11:19
The Romanian Football Federation wants to organize the Europa League final in 2028 or 2029. In this sense, the “first part of the application file” was submitted today.
On May 9, 2012, the National Arena, the largest stadium in Romania, hosted the Europa League final, a memorable Atletico Madrid – Athletic Club 3-0.
After 16 or 17 years away, the Romanian Football Federation is trying to bring back to Bucharest the final of the second tier European competition.
FRF wants the Europa League final and has officially submitted the file
The FRF announced this morning that it had today submitted “a first part of the application” to host the Europa League final in either 2028 or 2029.
It is a project in which the Federation has as collaborators the Bucharest City Hall, the institution that administers the stadium, and the Government of Romania.
According to the Federation, “the Government of Romania has expressed its full support for this initiative, including by declaring the event as one of public interest and national importance”.
Over, PMB would have undertaken the modernization of the stadiumin the context of “appreciating the major benefits that hosting the final would bring to the city of Bucharest”. As GSP.ro has shown on several occasions, certain areas of the stadium are in an advanced state of decay.
UEFA's decision in June
UEFA will review the submissions and announce in June the cities – and stadiums – that will host the finals of the European competitions in 2028 and 2029.
“Romania has demonstrated that it has the ability to successfully organize such major events, being a competitive partner for UEFA in the European football circuit, and now we want to use the legacy of the previous tournaments organized in our country to create an impressive new chapter in the history of Romanian football.
We propose to use the entire application process for hosting the Europa League final as a trigger, which will contribute to building a reference organizational model for football clubs in Romania, in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, around the perspective of Football – Community – Business – Sustainability.
With a large number of experienced and dedicated specialists, Romanian football is ready to offer the best conditions and reach the highest standards in the organization of the Europa League final”, said Răzvan Burleanu, president of the FRF.
Romania also applied for the organization of the Europa League final in 2026 and 2027, but it was not chosen by UEFA. Istanbul (Turkey) will host the final in 2026 and Frankfurt (Germany) the final act in 2027.
