Barcelona president Joan Laporta has offered a long-awaited update on the club’s return to its iconic home, the Spotify Camp Nou, nearly 70 years after the stadium first opened.
“Everything has been checked and is ready, and now we will conduct a public test to confirm this. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the return will take place on 22 or 29 November,” Laporta said.
The announcement marks the latest in a series of projected return dates since the start of the stadium’s €1.5 billion renovation in June 2023.
In July 2024, vice-president Elena Fort stated the revamped venue would be ready before year’s end. However, in January 2025 she revised that timeline, telling Catalan radio station RAC1 that Barcelona would return before the close of the 2024–2025 season.
A further announcement in June 2025 declared 10 August as the reopening date, coinciding with the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy. The club even released a promotional video featuring Laporta welcoming fans back to Camp Nou — a post later deleted after the plan fell through.
As a result, Barcelona have spent two full seasons away from their historic ground, playing home matches at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Montjuïc Stadium). This season, the team was even forced to host two La Liga fixtures at the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff, usually reserved for the women’s and youth sides.
Despite previous delays, optimism is growing that Barcelona’s return is finally within reach.
Last week, the club announced the first official event at the newly modernised Spotify Camp Nou: an open training session scheduled for Friday, 7 November.
This morning, Barcelona confirmed that all 23,000 tickets for the session have sold out — a development that delighted Laporta.
“There is a lot of excitement about Camp Nou. We are very grateful to the members and fans for their enthusiasm. It’s fantastic news that all the tickets have been sold,” he said.
