Camp Nou will host a match again this weekend

BarcelonaThe Barcelona City Council has granted the first occupancy license, in phase 1b, for the reopening of Camp Nou. This means the stadium on Aristides Maillol will increase its capacity to 45,401 seats and will be ready to host first-team matches. Barça intended to play again this Saturday, November 22, in the league match against Athletic Club, and that will now take place. At the end of last week, they submitted the required documentation to the Barcelona City Council for the reopening of the side stand, and this Monday they received final approval. There is therefore sufficient time for La Liga to approve the change of venue from Montjuïc to Camp Nou, and for the club to distribute tickets to members who request them, following the established procedures. protocols linked to the season passes announced just a few weeks ago. There's no need to wait until Saturday the 29th, when a Barça-Alabès match is scheduled, for the long-awaited return home.

Camp Nou had actually been operational for weeks, but only for 27,000 people, those occupying the main stand and the south goal area of the first and second tiers. Barça had already warned that they would wait until they had the 1b license before permanently moving to play. In the meantime, they've been playing at Montjuïc, since the capacity is greater (up to 50,000 seats) and, therefore, there are more business opportunities. Now, although the capacity will be even lower, it's worthwhile for the club to reopen because it can activate promotional products. VIP which are not available at the Olympic Stadium. The partial reopening comes almost a year later than initially announced, as President Laporta and Vice President Elena Fort's idea was always to return to Camp Nou for the club's 125th anniversary with a capacity of around 60,000 people.

After that slight disappointment, Barça members and fans have experienced further delays. The reality of the construction work has repeatedly clashed with the optimistic forecasts leaked from the Barça offices. In fact, Hansi Flick's team finished the entire 2024-25 season in exile at Montjuïc and has also played the start of this season at the Olympic mountain venue, which had to be hastily adapted. The lack of foresight also led BSM to rent the stadium to the artist Post Malone in early September, forcing Barça to play two official league matches, against Valencia and Getafe, at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, which only has a capacity of 6,000. During these weeks of confusion, the club even released an advertisement, featuring Laporta himself, to announce the reopening match against Como in the Joan Gamper Trophy in early August.

With the work well underway, on Friday, November 7th, Barça held a pilot test at Camp Nou, organizing an open training session for a nominal fee. The more than 23,000 people who attended were the first to experience the stadium and confirmed that all the systems – access control, security, and services – were functioning properly. The success of this event generated significant confidence among all parties involved in the reopening and helped secure the 1b license. Work will now continue to obtain the 1c license, which includes the preparation of the north goal area, with the expectation of opening this section after the holidays and increasing Camp Nou's capacity to 62,000 spectators. In parallel with this process, the club will negotiate with UEFA to finish the Champions League group stage matches at Camp Nou, although the regulations of the European governing body do not allow changes until the knockout rounds. Two group stage matches remain, against Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen, one before and one after the holidays. If UEFA doesn't give the green light, they will be played at Montjuïc.

The planned opening date of the new Camp Nou

The Camp Nou renovation works began in the summer of 2023 with the demolition of the third tier, which has been completely rebuilt. The slope of the first tier has also been improved, and the interiors of the first and second tiers have been modernized and adapted to current regulations. From there, the construction company Limak will continue working on the north goal area, with plans to open this section after the holidays and increase Camp Nou's capacity to 62,000 spectators. Meanwhile, work will continue on the third tier, which is expected to be completed within nine months, at the start of the 2026-27 season. The roof will then be added, with construction scheduled to begin in the summer of 2027. If there are no further unforeseen circumstances, the stadium will be finished in 2028. There is less certainty and predictability regarding the Palau Blaugrana, which is theoretically slated to be built on the site of the former Miniestadi, now a materials recycling plant.