Women’s Champions League final controversy: Mjelde defends decision as Bonmati’s criticism sparks debate

Former Norway captain Maren Mjelde has defended Oslo’s right to host the women’s Champions League final after Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati criticized the venue as too small for the biggest match in women’s club football.

The Ullevaal arena is sold out for Saturday’s match between Spanish giants Barcelona and French giants Lyon, but Bonmati told Catalan media RAC1 that the venue with a capacity of 28,000 people represented a step backwards for women’s football.

«Norway is a fantastic country, but the circumstances are different. We come from filling big stadiums and going to a smaller field is a step back,» Bonmati said.

Mjelde hit back by referring to last year’s final, where Arsenal beat Barcelona 1-0 in front of 38,356 fans at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, which seats 52,095 players.

«A full Ullevaal is cooler than a half-full stadium somewhere else. If I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t a full stadium for the final last year, even though it was in a bigger stadium,» Mjelde said. Reuters in the sunshine outside the city center hotel that European governing body UEFA uses as a base for the final.

«Of course you want to play in the biggest stadiums, but not all countries have them. Barcelona is very lucky and privileged in Spain, and it is probably the team in the world that attracts the biggest crowds, but that is not the case everywhere. I think if you can show football in different countries it will be much more attractive.»

Barcelona boasted a crowd of over 60,000 at the Camp Nou stadium during their 6-0 defeat to bitter rivals Real Madrid in April, but averaged just over 6,000 fans at home games last season.

Mjelde, 36 and back playing in Norway after spells in Germany and England, highlighted her country’s pedigree as one of only five teams to win the Women’s World Cup as further justification for holding the women’s final in Oslo.

WORLD LEADER

“Norway was the world leader for a while and “we want to get back there,” she said.

Although disappointed by the criticism, there was no anger towards Bonmati van Mjelde, who reached the 2021 Champions League final with Chelsea but missed the 4-0 defeat to Barcelona due to injury.

“I think if she had discussed this with the other Norwegian girls (in Barcelona, ​​​​Caroline Graham Hansen and Martine Fenger), they would have said something completely different,” Mjelde said with a smile.

«We are of course a bit biased in this and it is a bit subjective, but I think Aitana will experience a fantastic atmosphere. The weather is nice and she will be in Norway, which is a very nice country, so I think she will find it cool anyway.»

Published on May 22, 2026