When will FC Barcelona play in a finished Camp Nou?

FC Barcelona have been back at the Spotify Camp Nou since November 2025, and capacity is rising stage by stage. The building site is not finished, though: to install the roof, Barça are expected to move out once more in 2027. Here is where the project stands, what phases 1A to 1C mean and what the planned 2027/28 move involves.

Barcelona produced memorable nights at the Olympic Stadium as well, where they played from 2023 to 2025 – the 4-1 dismantling of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the semi-final first leg against Inter Milan, and a 6-1 win over Olympiakos Piraeus on 21 October 2025, the matchday with the most goals scored in a single evening (43).

But "Més que un Club" only feels genuine in one place, and that place is the Camp Nou. For La Liga football trips the stadium is the biggest draw alongside Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and Atlético Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano.

Where things stand: Barcelona are playing at the Camp Nou

In November 2025, Barcelona returned against Athletic Club Bilbao to the stadium that first opened on 24 September 1957 – after two and a half years at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuïc. Occupancy permits for construction phases 1A and 1B made that possible, with around 45,400 seats.

Since March 2026 the first permit for phase 1C has been in place. Opening the VIP rings and a further stand lifted capacity to roughly 62,600 spectators.

Throughout the current 2026/27 season, Barcelona are playing every home fixture at the Camp Nou, including their Champions League league-phase matches. The third tier is being opened progressively: the club is targeting October 2026 for the first increase, and the final figure of around 105,000 seats before the end of the 2026/27 season. After the delays of previous years the club deliberately avoids firm dates – every opening depends on approval from the city council.

Roof installation from June 2027: another move to the Olympic Stadium

The roof is the last major construction phase. Installation is scheduled to start in June 2027, immediately after the 2026/27 season ends, and to take around four and a half months – on paper until mid-October 2027.

Because the stadium has to be empty for that work, Barcelona have asked La Liga for permission to play the entire first half of the 2027/28 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Not just the weeks of the installation itself: the club wants a buffer against further delays, and UEFA requires a team to play all of its Champions League league-phase home matches at the same venue, which rules out switching grounds midway through.

The Estadi Johan Cruyff, home of the reserve side, was considered as an alternative. At roughly 6,000 seats it does not meet La Liga requirements; expanding it to about 10,000 would cost some 14 million euros and generate far less matchday revenue than Montjuïc. Internally, the Olympic Stadium is therefore seen as the more likely solution.

One caveat: the request has been submitted, but no decision has been taken. La Liga has not commented so far. Until there is official confirmation, the move remains a likely rather than a settled scenario. Barcelona aim to return to a fully completed Camp Nou in January 2028.

What this means for a football trip to Barcelona

• Season 2026/27: every home fixture at the Spotify Camp Nou, with rising capacity and therefore better ticket availability.
  
  
• First half of 2027/28: most likely the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys with around 55,900 seats – a different location on Montjuïc, a different journey in, different blocks.
  
  
• From January 2028: full operation at the Camp Nou is planned, with around 105,000 seats.

As soon as La Liga has decided and the venue for the 2027/28 season is official, we will update our Barcelona packages accordingly.

Camp Nou: the timeline

• November 2024: Barcelona v UD Las Palmas (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• December 2024: Barcelona v CD Leganés (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• January 2025: Barcelona v Real Betis (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• February 2025: Barcelona v Deportivo Alavés (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• August 2025: Barcelona v Como 1907 (moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium)
  
  
• September 2025: Barcelona v Valencia (moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium)
  
  
• November 2025: Barcelona v Elche (moved to the Olympic Stadium)
  
  
• November 2025: Barcelona v Athletic Club Bilbao (return to the Spotify Camp Nou, phase 1B)
  
  
• March 2026: first permit for phase 1C – capacity around 62,600
  
  
• Season 2026/27: all home fixtures at the Camp Nou, third tier opening progressively
  
  
• June 2027: roof installation scheduled to begin
  
  
• First half of 2027/28: move to the Olympic Stadium requested
  
  
• January 2028: planned return to the completed Camp Nou

Capacity by construction phase

• Phase 1A: 27,000 seats (25.7% of the final figure) – approved in October 2025, never used
  
  
• Phase 1B: 45,400 seats (43.2%) – from November 2025
  
  
• Phase 1C, first stage: around 62,600 seats (roughly 60%) – from March 2026
  
  
• Phase 1C, final stage: around 105,000 seats (100%) – once the third tier is complete

1.5 billion euros: why the return took so long

The Camp Nou has been under reconstruction since 2023, with the overall project costing around 1.5 billion euros, and the schedule slipped repeatedly.

In June 2025 it was still reported that matches could be played at the Spotify Camp Nou from September 2025, initially with a 60,000 capacity. That did not happen. On 21 July 2025 the club abandoned its plan to return for the Joan Gamper Trophy on 10 August 2025; the fixture was staged at the Johan Cruyff training ground instead.

Barcelona's La Liga match against Valencia in September 2025 also had to be played in Sant Joan Despí, in front of just 6,000 spectators – 2,000 below the minimum required in the Spanish top flight. Only after building defects had been rectified did the city council issue the first-occupancy permit in mid-October 2025, and it did so for phase 1B directly rather than the smaller phase 1A.

Camp Nou tickets: home fixtures in the rebuilt stadium

If you want to experience the modernised stadium, our FC Barcelona travel packages include Camp Nou tickets – for example El Clásico against Real Madrid, the Champions League tie with Manchester City or the meeting with Atlético Madrid.

At its final capacity of around 105,000, the Camp Nou will be the largest stadium in Europe.