Barça in trouble! Where will they play the 25/26 Champions League?

The FC Barcelona board may face a major problem in defining their venue for the next UEFA Champions League. If, finally, the First Occupation license, essential to reopen the Spotify Camp Nou with a partial capacity of about 60,000 seats, does not arrive in time to reopen the Estadi in mid-September, the club will have to find a new venue for the Champions League.

In principle, the club will debut at home in La Liga on Saturday, September 13 or Sunday, September 14 against Valencia. If the Camp Nou still does not have the necessary operating licenses, Barça will have to play their first home game in Cornellà, Montilivi or another venue.

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SURVEY: Where will Barça play their first home game in the 25/26 season?

And, that weekend, Friday the 12th, a concert by the American artist Post Malone is scheduled. This would also complicate playing a Champions League match the following week, on Tuesday the 16th, Wednesday the 17th or Thursday the 18th of September, although changing the concert venue is not ruled out due to the slow pace of ticket sales.

UEFA does not allow changing stadiums during a Champions League phase

However, if in the league phase draw, to be held on August 29 in Switzerland, Barça is drawn to play their first match at home, the board will have a major problem finding a stadium with a UEFA license. First, because of the activities scheduled in Montjuïc.

On August 9 there will also be a concert by the South Korean group Blackpink. If Barça finally decides to start the 25/26 season at the Lluís Companys, it will be necessary to install a new pitch in the middle of next month, depending on what happens with the Post Malone concert.

In any case, FC Barcelona must notify UEFA in advance which will be their venue for the entire league phase. The organization does not allow playing home matches in different venues during the same phase, so the club could only change stadiums from February onwards, for the 'KO' phase (from the play-offs onwards).

That is, if the 'Azulgrana' team plays matchday 1 or 2 (depending on the draw) at home in Montjuïc, they will have to play the other three remaining matchdays of the league stage at the Olympic Stadium. The board is still optimistic about returning to the Spotify Camp Nou in September, but everything will depend on obtaining the licenses from the City Council and the federations in time.

A UEFA delegation already inspected the state of the works a few weeks ago and plans to return to Les Corts in mid-August. After the cancellation of the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Estadi, Barça must decide as soon as possible which will be their venue for the first half of the 25/26 season, as the option of playing in two simultaneous venues is totally ruled out.

Montjuïc has been a profitable stronghold for Barça in the Champions League

In that sense, if the club finally starts the Champions League group stage in Montjuïc, they will also play their LaLiga matches there until the end of January. The initial phase of the Champions League starts on Tuesday, September 16 and ends on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

Staying almost another semester at the Lluís Companys would give extra time to the works at Camp Nou, allowing all the cranes to be used at least until the end of the year. In addition, the European balance at the Olympic Stadium has not been bad at all for the 'culés'.

In two seasons, Barça played 12 Champions League matches in Montjuïc, with a balance of 9 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. The team scored 37 goals, reaching the quarter-finals (23/24) and semi-finals (24/25) after a couple of consecutive eliminations in the group stage.

⚽Statistical summary of FC Barcelona as home team in Montjuïc (Champions)

1. Matches played: 12
2. Matches won: 9
3. Matches drawn: 2
4. Matches lost: 1
5. Goals in favor: 37
6. Goals against: 14

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