Joan Laporta has given another date for the return to Camp Nou, but there are reports from Barcelona of alleged major delays that could derail Blaugrana's plans for the 2024/25 season. Nevertheless, the club has already published further details of the return to its stadium. It also seems that it will not let up in its fight to host the World Cup final.

Three months of delay?

At the end of May, Relevo published an article citing an anonymous source. The issue is no longer that we won't make it by December.... the issue is that it is not certain that we will make it by March claimed a source familiar with the process quoted by the Spanish portal. We asked FC Barcelona for a comment on the matter, but did not receive a response from the club on whether the information provided by Relevo was true.

President Joan Laporta on 4 June, in an interview with the club's Barça One channel, said, referring to a contractor, that the club would return the Spotify Camp Nou at the end of the year, specifying that he meant December or January. The previously planned date was November. Capacity is expected to reach 60,000 seats by then, and all work by Limak should be completed by September 2026.

Barça has asked the La Liga authorities to set the league calendar in a way for it to play as many away games as possible in the autumn round and as few as possible at Montjuïc. This is because the club has lost €78 million on the move and the fans have not accepted the Blaugrana's temporary home. That is why the Barcelona authorities want to play only what is necessary as hosts this autumn, namely Champions League league phase matches.

Setting home matches for the return to Camp Nou would provide the club with a significant economic boost, even with the limited capacity. Interestingly, according to Relevo, despite a possible return to Camp Nou in December, Barcelona's Champions League league phase would have to be played until its end in January at Montjuïc, as the stadium cannot be changed during the phase.

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Additional obstacles

Even if Relevo's information from May was inaccurate, the delays have become more likely following the decision by the city authorities, taken two days after Laporta's interview, to revoke the midnight extension permit issued in April. In addition, as reported by El Periódico, work was banned on Saturdays on June 8 and 15. The reason for both decisions was complaints from residents about noise at night.

Now Limak's workers and his subcontractors will have to leave the construction site two hours earlier, at 10pm, making it difficult to continue progress. After 20:00, the works cannot generate noise, which, according to El Periódico, limits them to the installation of electrical infrastructure and painting work.

However, Mundo Deportivo says that those managing the works are confident of the possibility to adjust plans and improve efficiency and logistics to keep up the pace of the work. However, neighbours in the Camp Nou area want the work to take place only every other Saturday, rather than every Saturday as has been the case so far.

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What will the return to Camp Nou look like?

FC Barcelona have released a communiqué that breaks down the prices of season tickets for the 2024/25 season, assuming that half of the season will be played at Montjuïc. Entry to matches at the Olympic Stadium will cost virtually the same as last season.

With the return to Camp Nou, with a capacity of up to around 60%, after deducting the VIP area and the club's other commitments, 85% of the seats will be allocated to the socios, making around 50,000 seats. They will not have fixed seats (although they will choose a sector) and will have to confirm their intention to come to the match if the number of applicants exceeds the available seats.

The 17,902 socios who bought entry to the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium in the 2023/24 season will have priority in choosing their sector. The prices of the 2022/23 season will apply, taking into account that the Blaugrana will play half the season at Camp Nou. This solution is temporary and will remain in place until the completion of the facility, which means the second half of 2026.

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Progress on the construction site and further collaborations

Despite the obstructions, work is continuing, although it is difficult to speak of rapid progress. In the pictures made available and in the live broadcast from the construction site, the still unfinished stadium can be seen. As Mundo Deportivo indicated, all the pillars on which the new third floor of the stands will rest are already erected. In addition, the first two floors of the facade are completed.

Meanwhile, FC Barcelona has signed two further collaborations. The first, with Grupo Social ONCE, involves an audit to assess and improve accessibility at the new Camp Nou. The second, with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, aims to revolutionise the spectator’s experience with innovative technologies in the areas of stadium security, internet connectivity or fan attractions.

The seat bummer and the World Cup final

Barça had a setback recently. Sold for hundreds of euros, the seats from the old Camp Nou are, shall we say, not in the best condition. The Culémania portal quoted one of the socios who, after picking up a seat, stated: Literally uncleaned. In our case, there was mint chewing gum attached under the seat and it was all dust.

Meanwhile, on 30 May, a delegation from the Spanish, Moroccan and Portuguese federations to provide information to FIFA on the state of the stadium-candidates to host the World Cup visited Camp Nou. During the visit, FC Barcelona, together with the city authorities, assured the guests that it wants to host the 2030 World Cup final.

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