Barcelona are hoping to finally return home to Camp Nou from the early weeks of next season, a report has revealed.
The renowned stadium has remained unused since the 2022/23 season, as Barcelona has been hosting ‘home’ matches at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys located in the Montjuic district.
This arrangement was supposed to be a short-term solution for just one season, but delays in the redevelopment of Camp Nou have caused an extension, now doubling the initially planned duration.
However, the final preparations are underway to ensure the venue is ready to host games again in the coming months. According to Mundo Deportivo, the pitch has already been laid and is fully installed ahead of schedule, making it ready for play by September.
Barcelona had previously confirmed the pitch-laying process would take around ten weeks and the time-frame should also eliminate further setbacks and delays.
The Camp Nou project won’t be fully completed next season. The stadium, while re-open, will have to operate at a reduced capacity. But, still in excess of 60,000, it will be a step up from the Lluis Companys (55,000) in terms of size and therefore invaluable matchday revenue.
Final completion of all renovation work is expected ahead of the 2026/27 season, thereby restoring the capacity to over 100,000 once more.
In an official statement in February, Barcelona addressed the delays so far.
“The development of the works has undergone several unforgivables, a common situation in projects of this magnitude,” the club reasoned.
“These have been due to factors such as the availability of materials, the lack of qualified labor and work not initially planned, aspects that have generated changes in the execution schedules, which were very tight from the beginning.”
