The board of FC Barcelona still hasn't defined the date on which the men's first team will finally return to the Spotify Camp Nou. As planned, the club confirmed the Johan Cruyff Stadium as the venue for the match of matchday 4 of LaLiga 25/26 against Valencia.
This as an emergency solution, given the uncertainty regarding obtaining the first occupancy license for the Camp Nou, which depends exclusively on the Ajuntament. In principle, the club believes that the Estadi is already in a position to operate in phase 1A, with a partial capacity of 27,000 spectators.
And the majority of the deficiencies (more than 200) noted in the last supervision by the Catalan authorities would have been resolved. However, the license would hardly arrive in time to be able to play on Sunday in Les Corts. This is because the Final Construction Certificate (CFO) has not been signed by the construction company in charge, Limak.
Elena Fort reveals the latest developments at the Spotify Camp Nou
After the venue for Barça-Valencia was confirmed, Barcelona vice president Elena Fort spoke with 'RAC1' about the progress of the construction work at the Barça stadium. Although the first phase of work "has been completed," it wasn't possible to process all the permits in time to play Matchday 1 of La Liga at Les Corts.
"We've been working until the last minute to get all the paperwork done, but it wasn't possible. We hope to have the authorization. We'll try to get there as soon as possible," Fort explained. However, the Barça board prefers not to give a specific date for now.
"We hope this more bureaucratic part will be resolved next week. When we have certainties, we'll take it step by step," she added. Therefore, the venue for Barça-Getafe on Matchday 5 of La Liga is still unconfirmed.
The alternative dates that Barça is considering to return to the Spotify Camp Nou
Despite this, the club is fully confident of being able to return to the Estadi this month, beyond the setback of playing this week at the Johan Cruyff. After the match against Valencia, Barça will travel to England for their Champions League debut against Newcastle (Thursday 18).
The following weekend, the culés will again be at home, in the League, against Getafe, on Sunday 21 for matchday 5 of LaLiga. A week later, on Sunday 28, they will host Real Sociedad for the seventh league matchday, this being a much more plausible tentative date to have the Spotify Camp Nou ready.
Even when the first occupancy license arrives at the club's offices next week, there are still several remaining details to be resolved, including the security and viability operations to be coordinated with other state bodies.
Similarly, we would have to wait for the definitive 'Ok' from UEFA to the culé temple, in an inspection that would be carried out next week. As soon as the highest body of European football approves the Estadi, the club will definitively return to Les Corts for the rest of the 25/26 season in the League and Cup.
Three days after the match against Real Sociedad, Hansi Flick's team will host Paris Saint-Germain for the second matchday of the Champions League league stage. Any setback that prevents the dispute of that match at Camp Nou will mean that the team will play all their scheduled matches in Montjuïc, at least, from now until the next international break.
Barcelona's next home matches:
- Sunday, September 14 (9:00 PM): vs Valencia for matchday 4 of LaLiga 25/26 at the Johan Cruyff.
- Sunday, September 21 (9:00 PM): vs Getafe for matchday 5 of LaLiga 25/26 at a venue to be confirmed.
- Sunday, September 28 (9:00 PM): vs Real Sociedad for matchday 7 of LaLiga 25/26 at a venue to be confirmed.
- Wednesday, October 1 (9:00 PM): vs Paris Saint-Germain for matchday 2 of the Champions League league phase at a venue to be confirmed.
Barça could return to Montjuïc for the match against Getafe
The Lluís Companys was not available this weekend to host Valencia, but it will be available for the match against Getafe. If necessary, the club can count on the Estadi Olímpic from mid-September until the end of February, as agreed with Barcelona Serveis Municipals.
Beyond this solution, the board's commitment is clear: all efforts must be exhausted to be able to return to the Spotify Camp Nou this month of September. President Joan Laporta plans to hold a meeting with the media in the coming days to clarify the situation of the Estadi and clarify the doubts of the fans and members.
The reopening of the Estadi has become a repetitive unfulfilled promise for the board, after canceling the return in November 2024 and at the beginning of 2025. It was also not possible to play the Gamper in Les Corts, even though an intrigue campaign had been carried out in July giving the reopening in August for granted.
Now, the possibility of playing in up to three stadiums in the coming weeks remains open, but the commitment to return to the culé temple once and for all is firm. First, because the club needs to count on the income provided by the Estadi's box office. Second, because there are other 'levers' (such as the sale of VIP boxes) that directly depend on this factor.
If Barça intends to finish 2025 operating under the 1:1 rule and with a stable economy, it is essential to play at Camp Nou as soon as possible. The work is still far from complete, as the entire third tier remains to be built. However, with the enabling of the Lateral and the Gol Nord, it will be possible to receive 60,000 culers in the second half of 25/26.