Update: When will Barcelona return to the Camp Nou?

Football Trips to Barcelona temporarily turned into a cheerful stadium quiz. Estadio Camp Nou? Maybe again in five years... Joking aside: The Catalans postponed the reopening or partial reopening of Camp Nou six (!) times since November 2024, now it seems there is a Plan A and a Plan B solution....

No doubt, FC Barcelona has delivered unforgettable matches even at the Olympic Stadium, where they’ve been playing since 2023. In the Champions League, let’s recall the 4-1 demolition of FC Bayern Munich and the football masterclass against Inter Milan in the first leg of the semi-final. In the new Champions League season 2025/26, "Barca" made some noise again – 6:1 against Olympiakos Piraeus on October 21, 2025, the matchday with the most goals scored on a single evening (43).

But “Mes que un Club” is only truly “real” in Camp Nou.

For La Liga Football Trips, the stadium – alongside the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu of Real Madrid and Estadio Metropolitano of Atlético Madrid – is the biggest attraction.

Camp Nou Partial Reopening: The Timeline

• November 2024: FC Barcelona - UD Las Palmas (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• December 2024: FC Barcelona - CD Leganés (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• January 2025: FC Barcelona - Real Betis (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• February 2025: FC Barcelona - Deportivo Alavés (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• August 2025: FC Barcelona - Como 1907 (moved to Johan Cruyff Stadium)
  
  
• September 2025: FC Barcelona - FC Valencia (moved to Johan Cruyff Stadium)
  
  
• October 2025: Type A approval granted for return to Camp Nou

• November 2025: FC Barcelona - FC Elche (moved to Olympic Stadium Lluis Companys)

• November 22 / 23, 2025: FC Barcelona - Athletic Bilbao (likely at Spotify Camp Nou)

The central question is therefore: When will the return to Camp Nou, opened on September 24, 1957, take place? The stadium has been under extensive renovation since 2023 with a total budget of €1.5 billion.

On June 23, 2025, the Kicker sports magazine reported that matches at the Spotify Camp Nou could begin in September 2025. Initially, this was to proceed with a capacity of 60,000 spectators.

That didn’t happen! FC Barcelona had to abandon plans to return to Camp Nou for the Joan Gamper Trophy – held annually since 1966 – by July 21, 2025. The event, named after "Barca" founder Gamper, was instead played at the training stadium "Johan Cruyff".

35 days after the 5:0 win against Como, featuring ex-Barca star Cesc Fabregas, the stadium located in the suburb of Sant Joan Despi unexpectedly celebrated its La Liga debut. The grace period granted by the Spanish FA (RFEF), which gave the 28-time champion extra time with three consecutive away games, along with a scheduling conflict (Post Malone concert), made it necessary.

Barcelona vs Valencia in front of just 6,000 fans – 2,000 fewer than required for top-division games in Spain, and 21,000 fewer than what the first Camp Nou partial reopening was supposed to allow. The only question left: the “green light” from the authorities.

That the Catalans reserved the Olympic Stadium for all home game weekends until February documents this uncertainty.

Camp Nou or Olympic Stadium: Where will Barcelona play in the Champions League?

After the Champions League draw on August 29, 2025 (event-breaks.com reported), FC Barcelona reached a last-minute agreement with the European Football Association (UEFA).

According to RAC1, Barcelona will play the group stage of the Champions League at the new, albeit still unfinished, Camp Nou – with the exception of the match against Paris Saint-Germain.

The home opponents (besides PSG) are Olympiakos Piraeus, Eintracht Frankfurt, and FC Copenhagen.

According to reports, spectator capacity will be limited to 27,000 fans initially. By November 2025, that could rise to 60,000, with a future target of 105,000 seats upon completion.

With the extension of the sponsorship deal with audio streaming giant Spotify in October 2025 – though not yet confirmed in writing – a turnaround seems possible.

The sponsor holds naming rights until 2034 and thus has a strong interest in a timely return to Camp Nou and an end to the stadium saga.

As FC Barcelona announced in mid-October 2025, an “initial occupancy permit” has now been issued for the Spotify Camp Nou. The Barcelona city administration made this decision after rectifying structural defects that still existed three weeks prior.

This so-called Type A approval allows 26,000 spectators in the "Tribuna" and "Gol" sections of the stadium.

But that’s not enough for the ambitious "Barca" executives. The Catalans repeatedly insisted on Type B approval in October 2025 – which is required to use the stadium for Champions League matches again.

If Barcelona receives this permit, 45,400 spectators will be allowed in.

The Spanish sports newspaper Marca reported that “Mes que un Club” is working towards a reopening date for the end of November 2025 – aiming to play against Athletic Bilbao in the newly renovated stadium after the last international break of 2025.

By the end of the 2025/26 season, the third tier of the stands is expected to be completed – increasing the capacity to 90,000.

The full roof structure – and thus the final completion of Spotify Camp Nou – is scheduled for September 2027. At that point, FC Barcelona will own the largest stadium in Europe.