Barcelona refuse Spotify Camp Nou return
Barça have received permission to reopen their home stadium but have decided against rushing back. Here’s why.
Barcelona have received official approval from the city to reopen Spotify Camp Nou, with a first-phase occupancy permit allowing 27,000 fans into the stadium.
Why Barcelona won’t go back to Spotify Camp Nou yet
However, the club will not rush back. Barcelona have already indicated they plan to continue playing at Montjuïc until the city authorizes phase 1B, which would let 47,000 spectators into Camp Nou.
The reasoning is clearly financial, allowing the club to maintain the revenue currently generated at the Olímpic stadium.
🚨🎖| 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: The Barcelona City Council has granted the First Occupancy License for Phase 1A of Spotify Camp Nou, which will allow the stadium to reopen with a capacity of 27,000 fans.
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 17, 2025
However, Barça had previously stated they would only return to the Spotify Camp Nou… pic.twitter.com/6Ns0KeUtAr
Stadium setup and UEFA requirements
The first-phase permit allows Barcelona to open the stands behind the goals and the lower tier of the south end. Phase 1B, which would mark the official return, includes the side stands. UEFA requires these stands for hosting Champions League matches.
Although UEFA usually prohibits teams from splitting home games between two venues in the group stage, Barcelona are expected to be granted an exception. Despite already playing Paris Saint-Germain and scheduled to face Olympiacos this week, the club could host European fixtures at Camp Nou.
When will Barça return to Spotify Camp Nou? Latest update
Elena Fort, Barcelona’s vice president and head of the Espai Barça project, told RAC1, “We hope phase 1B for 47,000 spectators will be approved soon. The construction is complete, and it’s just a matter of permits and project validation, which should be simpler than the initial phase.”
Fort did not give a specific return date, saying, “Any date will be good because what we want is to come back. Whether it’s the match against Athletic or Getafe at the end of November, which would coincide with the club’s 126th anniversary, those will be special games.”
Emotional return and economic boost
The vice president concluded that the reopening of Camp Nou will help the club recover “emotionally, in terms of pride, and financially.”
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