Top 14 sizing up games at 105,000 seater mega-stadium

The Top 14 might be heading to the mythical Camp Nou, with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby analysing the possibility of the FC Barcelona stadium hosting the 2028 semi-finals of the French top-flight league.

As reported by French outlet La Dépêche, due to the ongoing work at Camp Nou, which is only due to be completed by September 2027, the LNR will be forced to move next year’s Top 14 final to a different ground.

However, while Barcelona might not host the 2027 decider, it could stage the 2028 semi-finals, with the goal of breaking rugby attendance records.

The Camp Nou has previously hosted a Top 14 final, when RC Toulon and Racing 92 clashed in the showpiece with 99,100 fans gathering in the stands to watch the Parisians claim the Bouclier de Brennus for a sixth time in 2016.

As for semi-finals played on foreign soil, San Sebastián’s Anoeta hosted both Stade Toulousain v Racing 92 and Stade Rochelais v Union Bordeaux Bègles, selling out for both matches.

The Top 14 has been enjoying unprecedented growth at all levels, averaging 16,000 fans per game, with clubs like Stade Rochelais selling out every ticket before the start of the season.

With Stade Toulousain and Montpellier already qualified for the semi-finals, Section Paloise, Stade Français, Racing 92, Union Bordeaux Bègles and Clermont Auvergne are still looking to book their place in the Top 14 play-offs, with one round remaining. The semi-finals will take place at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome, scheduled for the 20/21th of June.

By 2027, the Camp Nou will have increased its maximum capacity to 105,000, with the Top 14 looking to take advantage of the stadium’s renovations.

The largest paying attendance came in 2020, when 109,874 fans watched New Zealand edge Australia 39-35 at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

As for 2026, the Top 14 final will be hosted at the Stade de France, which welcomed last year’s final between Stade Toulousain and Union Bordeaux Bègles, with 78,000 tickets sold.