Problems with the ticket app before Barça-Alavés

FC Barcelona faced an unexpectedly turbulent lead-up to the match against Deportivo Alavés. A technical glitch in the official ‘FC Barcelona Socis’ app, used by season ticket holders to download and display their digital tickets, left around 1,000 members without access to their tickets. The incident forced the club to activate an emergency protocol, causing queues, delays, and considerable discontent.

The tool, which acts as a season ticket management platform and also as a virtual ID, stopped displaying the QR codes for a significant number of season ticket holders. Given the impossibility of resolving the issue within the app itself, Barça directed those affected to the Barcelonista Support Office (OAB) to provide them with paper tickets. The solution, although effective, congested the stadium entrances and caused long queues at the ticket offices of the Spotify Camp Nou

A technical failure: 1,000 entries unable to be downloaded

The incident began to be detected throughout Saturday morning, when season ticket holders started reporting that the QR code on their ticket was appearing and disappearing intermittently. In many cases, it simply wouldn't load. The club later confirmed that the error affected approximately 1,000 tickets, preventing them from being downloaded from the official app.

According to sources consulted by the club itself, the application experienced an internal synchronization failure between the servers and the database of tickets assigned to season ticket holders. The system, which usually uploads tickets a few hours before each match, was unable to correctly validate some passes, leaving users without access to the digital document essential for entering the stadium.

Emergency plan: paper entries from the OAB

Given the lack of time for a complete technical solution, Barça opted for an exceptional measure: issuing tickets on paper from the Barcelonista Support Office and designated points at the Camp Nou ticket offices. The club also announced that it had sent a PDF with the tickets to the affected season ticket holders via SMS or email, although some members indicated they had received the file late or were unable to open it correctly.

The club published an informative message on social media explaining the incident and offering alternative access channels. However, the avalanche of members seeking an in-person solution quickly saturated the ticket offices.

Long queues and widespread discontent among Barça members

Images from before the match showed long queues at the access points set up to resolve the issue. Dozens of members explained to the media that the error caused them delays, nervousness, and frustration just minutes before the start of the game.

One of the most repeated testimonies from those affected was the sudden disappearance of the QR code: "The code appeared at 12, and later it disappeared". Others expressed their indignation at what they consider a lack of technological reliability in a key and mandatory tool for accessing the stadium.

The accumulation of people at the entrances also generated moments of tension, as most members expected to resolve the problem quickly to arrive at the match on time. Although the Barça Operations Department and the security team were already aware of the failure, it was not possible to avoid the traffic jams in the vicinity of the stadium.

A questioned app: recurring problems on game days

This Saturday's failure once again calls into question the reliability of the ‘FC Barcelona Socis’ app, which had already received criticism for its performance on days of high attendance. Several season ticket holders recall that, even when there are no internal errors, the application suffers from coverage issues around the stadium.

The high concentration of mobile devices around the Camp Nou usually saturates the network, making it difficult to download digital tickets or update the QR code in real time. This behavior is not exclusive to Barça, but it has become a source of frustration for season ticket holders who rely exclusively on the digital format.

Added to this is the obligation to have tickets on the app, leaving fans with no alternative if the platform fails. What happened against Alavés reinforces the debate on whether the club should offer a more stable backup method to avoid massive incidents on match days.