Good news continues for FC Barcelona regarding their return to the Spotify Camp Nou. As we recently reported in FCBN, the Barcelona City Council has approved the opening of the mythical Azulgrana fiefdom in phases.
The information has been confirmed by Jordi Valls, acting mayor of the city, who explained in statements to the media that, although both the council and the Barça entity are focused "on the phase for 27,000 people", there are still aspects to be resolved to specify this first return of the Barcelona team to the arena of Les Corts:
"To obtain the permit (of first partial occupation) an ECA certificate is required for environmental control, the certificate of completion of work and the district permit (of Les Corts). And this means that inspections will have to be carried out, especially security inspections, and, when we have all that, a decision will be made," he said.
Partial return to the Spotify Camp Nou: the phases of the plan
Under this premise, sectorizing the return to the stadium becomes key to ensuring the prompt return of Barça to their home. As the works progress, the City Council will grant the license of first partial occupation progressively.
Initially, the plan contemplated reopening the fiefdom with a capacity of 60,000 seats, which prevented the venue from obtaining the necessary authorization for the Joan Gamper Trophy. The authorities understood that the original plan was far from being fulfilled, which left the Catalan team without room for maneuver.
A topic that the Barcelona team recognized in its statement to explain the reasons for not playing the Gamper 2025 at the Camp Nou: "It has been impossible to comply with all the requirements demanded by the regulations that regulate obtaining said license (of first occupation)".
The phased plan gives margin to FC Barcelona
However, with the division of Phase 1 into three sub-stages (1A, 1B and 1C), the panorama changes and offers greater flexibility. The Blaugrana team will be able to access the license in a staggered manner, which opens the option of playing their first home game of the 2025/26 season against Valencia CF, on September 14, already at the Spotify Camp Nou.
For that duel, the forecast is to open only the South Goal and the Tribune, which corresponds to Phase 1A, enabling 27,000 seats for the public. A strategic step that will allow to recover activity in the stadium without waiting for the total completion of the works.
Thus, the Blaugrana team will be able to gain time and room for maneuver. As it obtains the remaining permits and the works progress, it will be able to activate the following phases:
- Phase 1B (South Goal and the Tribune plus the Lateral): expansion to 45,000 attendees.
- Phase 1C (South Goal, Tribune, Lateral plus the North Goal): up to 62,000 people. This area is the one with the most delays, so its enablement is expected for October.
Finally, in Phase 2 the Third Tier will come into play. Something that will probably not see the light for this 2025/26 season and that will be the definitive step for Barcelona to be able to accommodate a total of 105,000 spectators in its stadium.