December 19 – FC Barcelona’s anticipated return to their spiritual home, the iconic Camp Nou, looks set to be delayed yet again.
The multi-million euro project has suffered a number of setbacks, and it now appears the team will not play at home until next season, despite Barca president Joan Laporta insisting the intention to play there remains from March.
The cost of the stadium is estimated at €900 million, with the wider Espy Barça project costing €1.5 billion.
There were originally plans for Barca to return to the Camp Nou in November to mark the club’s 125th anniversary, but that date has disappeared into the ether of construction.
Laporta are now pushing for a date of March 2025, which would be set for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, but reports are Even that date looks unlikely.
As with any major construction project, the devil is in the details, and development progress has slowed due to more work than previously anticipated on the second level of the stadium.
Then there is the question of the playing surface. The Camp Nou pitch is similar to a golf green, but the playing surface is still covered by equipment. Properly installing a world-class pitch requires up to three months of preparation to allow nature to take its course and bed the surface.
Laporta’s insistence that the club return in March was based on a number of factors, including UEFA’s provision that once Barca play a home knockout game in the Champions League, they cannot change the venue of their home matches for the rest of the season.
The stadium, with a capacity of approximately 105,000, is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2026. Meanwhile, attendance will initially be limited to about 60,000 as construction continues.
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