FC BARCELONA
SURVEY: Where will Barça play their first home game in the 25/26 season?
Published New:18/07/2025 - 21:11h
Updated New:18/07/2025 - 21:15h
Barça's return to Camp Nou will have to wait: the club is working against the clock and does not rule out returning to Montjuïc temporarily
FC Barcelona will have to postpone their expected return to Spotify Camp Nou. This was announced by the club itself in a statement, it will not be held on August 10, the date on which the Trofeo Joan Gamper 2025 was scheduled to be played and which would mark the return of the Catalan team to the Les Corts ground.
However, this first attempt to return was frustrated after the Barcelona City Council decided not to grant the first occupancy license to Spotify Camp Nou. A move that postpones, predictably, the return of Barça to its usual home for the weekend of September 13/14, when the 'culés' will have to play their first home game in LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 against Valencia CF.
The 'culé' team prepares for a possible return to Montjuïc
Although Barcelona expects to have the first occupancy license to play that league match at home, the reality is that the club is also preparing for an alternative scenario, in case the City Council does not give the green light to return to the Camp Nou in September.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona does not rule out returning to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys during the first part of the 2025/26 season. A return to Montjuïc that, on the other hand, would come with a first inconvenience: it is expected that on September 12, the artist Post Malone will perform a concert in that stadium. Therefore, it would have to be seen how that logistical problem is solved.
Beyond that, Barcelona knows that it is working against the clock, since in mid-August it must communicate to LaLiga and UEFA in which stadium it will play. At this point, the issue of the Champions League takes on special relevance: by regulation, once the stadium is chosen (for example, Montjuïc), the 'culé' team would be obliged to play the entire group stage in that venue, and could only change venue from a hypothetical round of 16 onwards.
Montjuïc or Camp Nou? Key decision for the season
Understanding that, at a minimum, Barcelona would have to play in Montjuïc until January 2026, it remains to be seen how the situation evolves. It should not be forgotten that the club maintains the same position as in the past regarding operating with two stadiums at the same time, due to the high economic cost and logistical complexity that this implies.
Based on this premise, it is clear that decisive weeks are approaching for Barcelona and its desire to finish defining in which stadium it will play the 2025/26 season. Montjuïc is not such a crazy option, and alternatives would even be explored to mitigate the economic impact of not being able to exploit the 475 VIP seats built in the Spotify Camp Nou. Looking ahead to 2026, there will be a greater urgency to return definitively to the mythical 'culé' ground, especially for issues such as the exploitation of the double ring of VIP boxes.
So, in which stadium will Barcelona end up starting the 2025/26 season? The table is set for debate.
