Spain: Spotify Camp Nou prepares for first test match
source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra
FC Barcelona is still waiting to return to Spotify Camp Nou. After delays in renovation work, the club hopes to avoid going back to Montjuïc. However, the mayor of the Catalan capital has not confirmed a specific date for the team’s return to their home ground.
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Cautious comments from city officials
Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, addressed the matter on Wednesday, avoiding giving a concrete date for the reopening of the revamped Camp Nou. We have certain commitments to the club, and the club to the city,
Collboni said. And they will be fulfilled.
Still, he added that while he hopes for a positive outcome, I don’t want to get ahead of decisions or specifics that must be agreed upon jointly.
His comments cast some doubt on the club’s hopes of returning to the stadium in time for next season.
It’s official: Gamper Trophy returns to Camp Nou!
Despite the city’s cautious stance, Joan Laporta confirmed that the Joan Gamper Trophy match will be held at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, August 9 or Sunday, August 10. The event will serve as a test before the club’s official return in September for La Liga and Champions League matches. Before that, Barça plans to organize a small-scale friendly in July with volunteers to test the flow of spectators at stadium entrances and exits.
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Construction races to meet September goal
Most seats have already been installed in the first two tiers of Camp Nou. Work is progressing at full speed, taking place around the clock from Monday to Friday, and also on Saturdays from 10:00 to 20:00. The Barcelona City Council has consistently extended permits for the ongoing construction, with the consent of residents of the Les Corts district. Sundays remain the only non-working day for the Limak Construction team.
Laporta also announced that the first official match at Spotify Camp Nou is scheduled for after the first international break of the 2025/26 season — likely the weekend of September 13–14. The first Champions League home group stage game could then follow on September 16 or 17, or alternatively on September 30 or October 1, depending on the UEFA draw to be held on August 28 in Monaco. To allow more time for the finishing touches after the Gamper Trophy, Barça is expected to request away games for the opening La Liga fixtures.
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