Spotify Camp Nou is ready to welcome fans again. FC Barcelona has received approval for a partial reopening of the stadium, allowing 45,401 spectators to enter the Lateral, Tribuna and Gol Sur stands for the match against Athletic Club scheduled for Saturday, 22 November.

A return full of symbolism

We’re coming home, the club announced on social media. The decision follows Barça’s submission of the complete Phase 1B documentation to the city, which subsequently granted the first-use license. The reopening comes a year later than initially planned and with less construction progress than originally expected.

The return carries significant emotional weight. Barça has not played an official match at Camp Nou since 28 May 2023 — 909 days ago. On that night, Xavi’s side defeated Mallorca 3–0, with two goals from Ansu Fati and one from Gavi, in what became the farewell for Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba — the symbolic end of an era. Today, the landscape is very different: Hansi Flick is in charge, and the status of many players has changed. Marc-André ter Stegen, once untouchable, may leave in the summer; Ansu Fati, then full of promise, is now looking to revive his career at Monaco; and Ousmane Dembélé, criticised when he departed, is now a star at PSG.

For many players, this will be their first official match at Camp Nou: Joan García has never played here, while Szczęsny and Rashford have only appeared as visitors. The young canteranos known as the Montjuïc generation — Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Fermín, Casadó and Dani Olmo — will also experience the atmosphere of Barça’s home for the first time.

© Espai Héctor

Construction continues: the road to 105,000 seats

The reopening does not signal the end of the project. The club is now entering Phase 1C, which will allow the opening of the Gol Norte stand and increase capacity to 60,000. Later stages include completing the third tier to reach the final 105,000 capacity, followed by the installation of the new roof.

Uncertainty still surrounds Barça’s return to Camp Nou for European competitions. To host Champions League group-stage matches in their refurbished home, the club needs UEFA approval. President Joan Laporta said discussions are ongoing: We’re in good dialogue with UEFA. Barcelona states that the stadium already meets the requirements to host the match against Eintracht Frankfurt, but is awaiting formal confirmation.

If approved, Montjuïc will bid farewell to Barça’s European nights, and the club will boost its revenues thanks to the long-awaited return to a modernised Camp Nou — a stadium ready to enjoy football again after two and a half years.

© Espai Héctor