Barcelona again delay Camp Nou return over permitting issues

Barcelona’s planned return to Spotify Camp Nou next month was again delayed, and the Aug. 10 Joan Gamper Trophy will be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, the club announced on Friday.

The delay stems over licensing problems regarding the stadium’s reopening, the club said, adding that the “necessary work to comply with the requirements of the Ordinance Regulating Municipal Intervention Procedures in Construction Works has made it impossible to complete the procedures required for the granting of the initial licence.”

Barça had earlier announced the Gamper Trophy against Como for Aug. 10, which was to serve as the first phase of the re-opening of Camp Nou following two years of renovation work.

Some of the required licences have already been given, but there are still problems relating to the security surrounding the access to the stadium.

The club said that “due to the scale of the work carried out, it has not been possible to meet all the conditions laid out by the regulations governing this licence, despite the club’s intention to reopen the redeveloped stadium sector by sector.”

Johan Cruyff stadium, where the women’s team play, only has a capacity of 6,000.

Barça have spent the last two seasons playing at the Olympic Stadium in the city while Camp Nou is revamped.

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The original plan was to return in November of 2024, but that date has been constantly pushed back, with Barça finally saying earlier this month they would play the Joan Gamper Trophy there.

The Catalan side aimed to play the game as a dry run for the stadium before the LaLiga season starts, with the capacity if the game does go ahead at Camp Nou likely to be capped at 20,000 to 30,000.

Barça then would have had a month before their first home league game of the season against Valencia at the start of September after LaLiga granted them permission to play their first three matches on the road.

Work will continue on the stadium throughout this season with completion not expected until at the earliest the start of the 2026-27 season.

In the meantime, the plan is for Barça’s home games in the upcoming campaign to be played with a reduced attendance of between 50,000 and 60,000.