Barcelona Set for Camp Nou Return

Barcelona will finally return to its refurbished Camp Nou stadium to face Athletic Bilbao on November 22 in La Liga, the club announced on Monday, after spending over two years away.

Since the stadium shuttered at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, the Catalan team has had to play in alternative venues, primarily at the Olympic Stadium on Montjuïc Hill.

Various delays have pushed back the reopening of Camp Nou by a year, to a date later than initially planned, following a 1.5 billion-euro ($1.75 billion) transformation that has faced significant construction challenges.

Barcelona will welcome fans back to the stadium with a temporary capacity of 45,401, while the completed top tier will expand this to 105,000. Earlier in November, they hosted 23,000 fans for a training session as a trial event in preparation for the reopening.

Barcelona is also hoping to receive UEFA approval to host Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou during the Champions League on December 9.

Due to safety concerns, the Spanish champions had to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the initial weeks of the season after they were unable to secure the necessary permit for Camp Nou.

The previous Camp Nou was built in 1957 and had a capacity of 99,000.

Barcelona intends to install a roof over the stadium, which is now scheduled for summer 2027, a year later than initially anticipated for project completion.

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