Due to permission issues, the Spanish club’s return to their beloved home is once again delayed.
Barcelona cannot yet return to their home ground, Camp Nou, as originally planned. Their upcoming Joan Gamper Trophy match on August 10 will now be held at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
The Catalan club announced on Friday that permission-related problems are causing the delay in their return to Camp Nou.
After two years of renovation work, Barcelona had recently announced their comeback at Camp Nou with the Gamper Trophy clash against Como.
While they have secured some of the necessary permits, safety concerns around the stadium’s access points remain unresolved.
As a result, they have had to change plans. Barcelona’s women’s team, who usually play at the Johan Cruyff Stadium with a capacity of just 6,000, will now host the match there.
Barcelona last played at Camp Nou in May 2023 before extensive renovations began. As part of a sponsorship deal with audio streaming platform Spotify, the stadium’s name has been changed to Spotify Camp Nou.
Initially, the club planned to return in November 2024, but that date has been postponed multiple times. Earlier this month, Barcelona announced that they would return with the Gamper Trophy. Although the match will take place there, spectator capacity would be limited to between 20,000 and 30,000.
At the start of the 2025-26 La Liga season, Barcelona will play their first three matches away. If they manage to return for the Gamper Trophy, they would have about a month at Camp Nou before their first home league game against Valencia in early September.
Renovation work at Camp Nou is far from complete and is unlikely to be finished before the start of the 2026-27 season.
The club plans to host matches with a capacity of 50,000 to 60,000 spectators, with construction continuing during breaks in the schedule.
In the meantime, Barcelona has played home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc for the past two seasons. Under coach Hansie Flick, the team performed brilliantly last season, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup.
