After nearly two and a half years of disruption, delays, and frustration, Barcelona’s homecoming is finally happening. The club has secured the clearances needed to bring fans back into the renovated Spotify Camp Nou. It may not be a full opening, but it is still a huge milestone that has been years in the making. The multibillion-euro debt that the project has put the club in will be paid off eventually, but any more setbacks would continue to keep Barcelona’s salary limit in a precarious position.
Clearances and Green Lights
Barcelona will return to the Camp Nou against Athletic Club, a rival befitting of the venue. The squad should be joined by roughly 45,000 supporters in the parts of the bowl that meet the city’s current safety standards. Between the municipal paperwork, safety certificates, and an occupation license, not part of the process has come easy. The 1B License, which allows fans to be in a usable part of the main stand and the south end, was finally acquired after the proper inspections.
This coming after the initial permit for a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 fans was rejected back in September. The city council had highlighted safety and security concerns, and that initial rejection has forced the squad to play against Valencia at the Estadi Johan Cruyff after a Post Malone concert left Montjuïc unsuitable for hosting.
Next Steps
Since obtaining the 1B License, next up is the 1C License, which will allow the club to have 62,000 fans at the Spotify Camp Nou. The timeline at present time is for the end of the year. The last home match of 2025 is against Osasuna, and the license will likely not be acquired by then. The first home match of 2026 will be either January 14th, if Barça qualify for the Copa del Rey round of 16 and receive a home match, or it take place on January 25th against Real Oviedo. Without a home match for about a month, major work could be done in getting the stadium ready for 62,000 fans in the first and second tiers.
Eventually the Camp Nou will be a jaw-dropping 105,000 seat, state of the art roofed, multi-use arena fit for the greatest of European nights. Construction teams expect the project to continue to run into 2027 when the stadium might finally reach full capacity.
Making It Work
Athletic Club were informed that Barça couldn’t accommodate away fans for their match-up, and the club is considering putting tarpaulin in the North Stand to make the stands look less empty. The same was done during the pandemic when matches were played behind closed doors.
Hansi Flick will also need to adapt, as both he and Ernesto Valverde will have their post-match press conferences in the Auditori 1899, which has been set up as a temporary press room since the new one is not yet finished.
The new Camp Nou will also serve as a home for Barça Femení, but that won’t happen for a bit of time either.
Why Being Back Matters
It can’t be understated how important returning to Barcelona’s football cathedral could be for the team. Just as Raphinha and Joan García are returning to the squad, they will also be bolstered by an additional 15,000 fans from the regular crowd in Montjuïc. For so much of the squad, it will be their first time playing at the Camp Nou, and that energy could go a long way in returning the press to its best version under Hansi Flick.
Not all the supporters groups will be back at the start, but having the Camp Nou crowd back against Athletic Club, Atlético Madrid, and Eintract Frankfurt over the next few weeks could be the difference in keeping up pace in La Liga and the Champions League table.
While the reopening of the stadium feels like delayed gratification, the atmosphere, even with cranes and construction, could be the boost the team needs. The competitive edge should not be understated.
For more on the Camp Nou return, check out the latest episode of The Barcelona Podcast:
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