FC Barcelona returns this Sunday (16:15 CEST) to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys de Montjuïc, its home for the last two seasons while the remodeling works of the Spotify Camp Nou are carried out.

Events scheduled for the final stretch of the summer prevented Barça from having the municipal stadium a couple of weeks earlier, but everything is ready to welcome Real Sociedad and Paris Saint-Germain.

In principle, the Blaugrana team hoped to have the first occupancy license for the Camp Nou for the match against the Donostiarras. However, the City Council found new security irregularities in the culé temple, which means that the reopening with a partial capacity for 27,000 spectators will have to wait, at least, until October 18 (against Girona).

The Estadi Johan Cruyff hosted the matches against Valencia (6-0) and Getafe (3-0), both approved but not with honors by Hansi Flick's team. Now, just before the home debut in the Champions League, it's time to return to Montjuïc, for at least two matches, pending the progress of the works in Les Corts.

The remodeling works in Montjuïc for Barça's return

Montjuïc, in the preview of a Barça League match in 24/25

In the last two weeks, Barça carried out several adaptation works in the Lluís Companys to have the stadium in optimal conditions for the matches of matchday 7 of LaLiga and 2 of the Champions League group stage. Among them, the most outstanding included:

  1. ✅Installation of a new turf

  2. ✅Replacement of approximately 7,000 seats

  3. ✅Relocation of the access turnstiles

  4. ✅Installation of VAR cameras and competition systems

  5. ✅Placement of the benches

  6. ✅Refurbishment of press rooms

For Barça, returning to Montjuïc means an extra expense in the 25/26 budget, since in addition to the rent of the stadium (between 300,000 and 900,000 euros per match, according to the culé vice president Elena Fort), it was also necessary to invest in necessary improvements so that the RFEF and UEFA gave the green light to the Blaugrana's return to the mountain field.

In that sense, the club is committed to reopening the Camp Nou as soon as possible, even if that means keeping two venues open. UEFA will not give the green light to the culé temple until phase 1B is completed, with 45,000 seats once the sides are enabled.

In phase 1A only the Gol Sud and Tribuna will be available, which would make it impossible to separate the visiting fans, in the case of Champions League matches. The goal is to complete phase 1B in November, while 1C (with the opening of the Gol Nord) must be ready before the end of the year.

With this, the capacity will be 60,000 seats, about 10,000 more than the maximum capacity available in Montjuïc. Barça's idea is to play the first two matches of the Champions League group stage in the Lluís Companys (PSG and Olympiacos) and have the operating licenses for the match of matchday 6, against Eintratch Frankfurt (December 9).

The matches that Barcelona would play in Montjuïc during 25/26

Thus, the club hopes to play a maximum of three matches this season in Montjuïc in 25/26, two in the Champions League and one in the League. In any case, if the City Council postpones the reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou for several more weeks, Barça has a license to play in the municipal stadium until the end of February, if necessary.

For now, Barça's rivals who, for sure, will play in the Olímpico are:

  1. Real Sociedad: Sunday, September 28 (18:30 h), for matchday 7 of LaLiga 25/26.
  2. Paris Saint-Germain: Wednesday, October 1 (21:00 h), for matchday 2 of the Champions League 25/26 league phase.
  3. Olympiacos FC: Tuesday, October 21 (18:45 h): for matchday 3 of the Champions League 25/26 league phase.

To this list can be added the match of matchday 8 of La Liga, against Girona, on Saturday, October 18 (16:15 h), this as long as the Camp Nou does not yet have the first occupancy license of phase 1A. For the Champions League, the match of matchday 6 against Eintracht can also be included, if phase 1B does not receive the certification from the City Council and the OK from UEFA before.

Barça's records as a local team in Montjuïc (2023-2025)

BARÇA'S BALANCE AS A LOCAL TEAM IN MONTJUÏC
MP W D L GF GA
52 39 5 8 141 60
  • MP: matches played
  • W: wins
  • D: draws
  • L: losses
  • GF: goals for
  • GA: goals against