Sam Marsden, Barcelona representative
Barcelona Spotify is already working internally on the possibility of a return to the Camp Nou being delayed until next season, a source told ESPN, despite president Joan Laporta insisting he remains intent on playing there since March.
Barca had originally planned to return to Camp Nou by November to mark the club’s 125th anniversary, but that date has slipped.
Laporta said the club now hopes to return to the stadium by March, to coincide with the Champions League knockout phase, but a source said that date looks unlikely.
The need to do more work on the second level than originally planned has slowed progress on the redevelopment and modernization of the site.
The pitch, meanwhile, will take up to three months to properly install to ensure it is at the level required to host elite football.
The playing surface is still covered with equipment, although renovation work on the stadium continues, meaning pitching work has yet to begin.
Laporta is targeting a March date because once Barca play home knockout games in the Champions League, they cannot change the venue where their home matches are played in Europe.
The only window to change stadiums is between the league stage and the knockout stages, according to UEFA rules, although La Liga has no such restrictions internally.
Barca are planning a phased return to Camp Nou. As work continues they will initially limit attendance to around 60,000.
The stadium should then be fully completed by the summer of 2026, increasing the capacity to around 105,000, the highest in Europe.
Barca left the Camp Nou in 2023 and have been playing at the city’s Olympic Stadium ever since. They recently extended their stadium lease until March and will be able to extend their stay again if necessary.
