Important blow for FC Barcelona and their return to the Spotify Camp Nou. Finally, the Azulgrana team will not be able to play the Joan Gamper Trophy 2025, scheduled for August 10, in their historic temple, where there has been no action for two seasons due to the remodeling process that is underway.
According to various sources, the Culé team has already resigned itself to not being able to obtain the first occupancy license necessary to play the Joan Gamper Trophy 2025 at home. A conclusion that would have been reached after numerous contacts, this week, between members of the club and the Barcelona City Council.
During these exchanges, several complexities were presented in order to obtain said permit, which would enable the reopening of the Les Corts arena.
The official announcement from Barcelona, imminent
At this point, it is expected that Barça will issue a statement in which it will officially announce that the Joan Gamper Trophy 2025 will not be able to be held at the Spotify Camp Nou, explaining the reasons why the team's return to their home will have to be postponed once again.
Now, Barcelona's efforts will focus on having the Camp Nou fully ready for the return to official competition at home, scheduled for the weekend of September 13 and 14. That date corresponds to the fourth matchday of the league championship, in which the Catalan team is to receive Valencia CF.
The Culé team must look for a new venue for the Joan Gamper 2025
For its part, Barcelona must get to work to resolve where it will play the symbolic preseason match that serves to honor the founder of Barça. Although the forecast was always oriented to celebrate the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Spotify Camp Nou with an approximate capacity of between 30,000 and 32,000 spectators —taking advantage of the fact that the Tribune and the Gol Sud are already operational—, it will finally not be possible.
This is because the accesses to the Gol Nord and the Lateral are less advanced, a key point for the City Council, which had already granted the Barcelona team the activity and construction licenses, did not have sufficient security to grant the first occupancy license.
The Johan Cruyff, emergency alternative for the Gamper
Now we will have to see how the situation of the dispute of the Joan Gamper 2025 unfolds, a duel that, according to speculation, could be held against Cesc Fàbregas's Como. And that, given the impossibility of playing it both at the Spotify Camp Nou and at the Estadi Lluís Companys (Montjuïc), will probably leave Barcelona with the only option of playing it at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, a venue with a capacity for just 6,000 spectators.
It would be the second time that Barça has held this tournament in this scenario, the first being in 2021, when they faced Juventus and won 3-0 with goals from Memphis Depay, Riqui Puig and Martín Braithwaite.