FC Barcelona has announced its much-anticipated return to Camp Nou, with the first team scheduled to hold an open training session on November 7. This event, beginning at 11:00 AM local time, will welcome up to 23,000 fans eager to witness their team in action.

Tickets became available to club members on Friday, priced at 5. These dedicated fans enjoy a 48-hour window to secure their spots before tickets are released to the general public for 10.

The training session is not just a fan engagement opportunity but also serves as a crucial test of the stadium’s technical and operational capabilities. It will evaluate systems, access points, and other infrastructure as part of Camp Nou’s phased reopening.

This occasion is significant for FC Barcelona as it marks a step towards returning to their beloved home ground. Camp Nou had been closed for renovations since spring 2023, and the club is now preparing to host competitive matches there once again.

The team is set to face Athletic Club at Camp Nou on November 22, coinciding with the celebration of the Blaugrana’s 126th anniversary.

Club President Joan Laporta had initially hoped for the stadium to be ready a year earlier. However, construction delays and the lengthy process of obtaining necessary permits from Barcelona’s City Council led to postponements of the reopening dates.

President Joan Laporta had originally aimed for the Camp Nou to be ready a year previously, but delays with construction and receiving the necessary clearance or permits from Barcelona’s City Council put paid to a number of proposed dates.

It now seems more likely that Barca will be able to host games in a stadium, which will hold 105,000 punters when completely finished, before 2025 has drawn to a close. But it has big plans years down the line.

FC Barcelona wants to host the 2029 Champions League final

As explained by Mundo Deportivo, citing anonymous sources, Barca has, through the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) already applied to host the 2028/2029 Champions League final.

Fans of the sport’s most coveted club competition will remember that the stadium received one of its most dramatic finals in 1999, when Manchester United came up with a pair of last-gasp injury time goals to beat Bayern Munich 2-1.

Coincidentally, it will go up against a stadium where it topped the Red Devils in 2011, Wembley, for the rights to 2028 final.

Something that perhaps goes against FC Barcelona is the fact that Atletico Madrid will host the final in 2027, and UEFA might not see it appropriate to have two editions of the decider in the same country so close together.