Final sprint for the re-debut of the Spotify Camp Nou

There are less than fifty days left, exactly 46, until the Spotify Camp Nou reopens its doors. FC Barcelona 's intention is for the 60th Joan Gamper Trophy to be played at the Estadi on August 10th. This was announced by president Joan Laporta a few days ago before the Barcelona Senate. If everything goes as planned, it will be the first match there since May 28th, 2023. Shortly after, the cranes arrived and the team moved to Montjuïc. Cranes are now working at full capacity and will not disappear even when the ball and football return to the Les Corts pitch.

Barcelona will play at the Spotify Camp Nou with reduced capacity for the entire next season. They will do so in front of 60,000 spectators, the number that will fit in the first and second tier, which will be the ones that are finished. Currently, almost all of those seats are already in place . The third tier will continue to be built on days when there is no football at the stadium.

The great objective The initial idea has changed and now the plan is for 60,000 spectators to be able to attend on August 10th.

The club's initial plan was for the Gamper Stadium, the friendly trophy that has always served as the team's official presentation, to be played in front of around 25,000 spectators. However, the progress of the construction work by Limak suggests the Barcelona club will be able to host the match with the maximum attendance allowed for the 2025-26 season.

Read also

There's no time to waste, and Barça has already moved ahead with the paperwork. It has requested permits from Barcelona City Council, UEFA, the Fire Department, the Mossos d'Esquadra, and the Les Corts district to open Camp Nou in August for the presentation match.

In fact, the club submitted all the updated documentation last Wednesday to obtain the building and activity licenses from the City Council. The authorities must review all the information. The Les Corts district, where the club has been located for over a century, will require a first occupancy license. Approval that the facility meets all requirements to host events again after the renovation may take between two and three weeks.

Until the September break After the presentation, the club will gain an extra month of construction thanks to its request to play the first three league matches away from home.

Finally, it is mandatory to obtain permission from the Fire Department and the UCO (Center for the Defense of the Autonomous University of Barcelona), headed by the coordinator of sporting events for the Barcelona Metropolitan Region of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police). They will be closely monitoring and will also pay special attention to the walkways that will be installed for access to and evacuation from the venue, key to the security plan. One of them will lead from the Lateral to the Casa de la Maternitat (Maternity Hospital), and the other will lead from the Grandstand to the esplanade of the Palau Blaugrana. The purpose of these walkways is to allow entry and exit without having to clear all the construction machinery. In fact, all the cranes are already outside the perimeter of the stadium and its stands.

While the work continues and the permits are being obtained, Barcelona is finalizing the contract with Como to be the opponent at the Gamper on August 10. The Italian team, tenth in last season's Serie A , is thought to have appeal among Barcelona fans as it is coached by Cesc Fàbregas and where former Barça captain Sergi Roberto plays, as well as Àlex Valle.

Before reopening the Gamper Stadium, the club plans to conduct a load test with the press, club suppliers, and some guests to see how the facility responds to the first visitors and refine the return plan.

Thinking about the start UEFA has sent emissaries to study the provisional work areas ahead of the 2025-26 Champions League.

It's worth noting that the Gamper Stadium will be the first opportunity to experience the stadium, but the first official match will still take some time. Time is of the essence, and Barcelona has asked LaLiga to play the first three matchdays of the national championship away from home. This allows for an extra month of work to complete the preparations, as after those first three matchdays, the tournament is halted and there is a FIFA break. Last season, LaLiga resumed on September 13.

What cannot be postponed is the start of the 2025-26 Champions League, which last season fell on September 19. The Spotify Camp Nou must be ready for that, always with 60% capacity, because UEFA requires that the entire first phase be played in the same stadium. Last week, UEFA sent emissaries to Barcelona to visit the work areas, the television U, and the temporary press room that will be located in the Auditori 1899.

There's no doubt there's a desire to return, and yesterday, various parts of the Catalan capital witnessed a club action in which a van loaded with loudspeakers played typical sounds of a football pitch and some of the usual chants at Camp Nou, which is already warming up for its re-debut 68 years after its inauguration.