When Will Barcelona Return to the New Camp Nou?
Barcelona's return to its stadium is getting closer and it is expected to be against Atlético de Madrid.
FC Barcelona plans for the new Spotify Camp Nou to have a capacity of 104,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium in Europe and the fifth largest in the world. It is expected to generate at least 347 million euros annually once fully operational at the start of the 2026-2027 season.
In a press conference held at the Auditori 1899, Elena Fort, the vice president of FC Barcelona and head of 'Espai Barça', along with Joan Centelles, the operations director, and Lluís Moya, the technical operations director, discussed the current progress of the construction.
The club representatives confirmed the plan to return to the Spotify Camp Nou in December, with a minimum capacity of 64,000 spectators in the first and second tiers, while the third tier construction continues.
The first match at 60% capacity is expected to be in late December 2024. The last scheduled match for 2024 is Barcelona vs. Atlético de Madrid on the weekend of December 21-22. The previous weekend, December 14-15, Barça will also play at home against Leganés.
The club aims to complete the third tier structure and the roof by August 2025, open the VIP lounges at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, and partially open the third tier to the public throughout the season, with the goal of having the stadium fully operational for the start of the 2026-2027 season.
Centelles emphasized that the construction is on schedule and within budget. So far, 342 million euros of the planned 1.071 billion euros (32%) have been spent. However, he admitted that as of now, Barcelona does not expect to host the final group stage match of the Champions League at Spotify Camp Nou in late January.
