The return to the Spotify Camp Nou is getting closer as the days pass. Even though their stadium can only hold a smaller number of people, FC Barcelona are eager to play their home games there permanently.
The Catalans currently hold the first occupation licence for phase 1A, which permits them to re-enter the stadium with about 26,000 fans occupying the South Goal and the first two rows of the Main Stand.
Barcelona, however, wants to hold off on reopening the stadium until the City Council approves the phase 1B occupation licence, which would allow the Main Stand, South Goal and Lateral Stand to be used, increasing the stadium’s capacity to 45,401.
According to SPORT, the return to the Spotify Camp Nou is therefore most likely to occur the weekend of November 22–23, right after the international window, when Barcelona plays Athletic Club.
La Liga declared this morning that Barcelona will play Athletic Club in Matchday 13 of the domestic league on Saturday, November 22, at 16:15.
Barcelona sets new date for Camp Nou return
According to Joan Sentelles, director of operations for Barca, the team anticipates receiving the First Occupancy License for Camp Nou later this week. The intricate procedure that was used to select Limak Construction to oversee the stadium’s reconstruction was also clarified by Sentelles.
Many people were surprised when Barca chose to give Limak the stadium deal. In comparison to its Spanish rivals Ferrovial and Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), the company initially obtained the lowest technical score. Limak’s construction plan lacked coherence.
Additionally, they need about €200 million for the initial months of construction, when their rivals just needed about €12 million to get things going. Sentelles insisted that “Limak was the cheapest” choice for Barca, even though the team was about a year behind schedule for their original November 2024 return to Camp Nou.
With season ticket sales already underway, the club leader continued by suggesting that the stadium could finally reopen in mid-November. Sentelles continued, “If everything goes according to plan, we will be able to reopen the stadium by mid-November if it is in our hands and I am sure that the city council’s as well.”
