Barcelona's Camp Nou return BLOCKED! La Liga champions forced to play home match at 6,000-capacity stadium due to ongoing delays

This decision comes just five days before their scheduled clash with Valencia, and marks another chapter in a saga of construction woes for the Catalan giants. Despite previously announcing their return to Camp Nou after a lengthy refurbishment, the club has now revealed that security and activity licenses are still not finalised.

This is not the first time that Barcelona has had to make last-minute venue changes. Originally, the club had planned to host the August 10 pre-season Gamper Trophy match at Camp Nou, but those plans were also abandoned in favour of the Johan Cruyff Stadium, located near the team’s training grounds in Sant Joan Despi.

Barcelona issued a statement on Tuesday which read: "FC Barcelona announces that the match corresponding to Matchday 4 of LaLiga, scheduled for Sunday, September 14 at 9:00 p.m. against Valencia CF, will not yet be able to take place at the Spotify Camp Nou. The Club is working intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of the Spotify Camp Nou in the coming weeks. For this reason, the match will instead be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

"FC Barcelona would like to thank its members and fans for their understanding and support during such a complex yet exciting process as the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou. The Club will provide further details soon regarding the organization of the match and ticketing procedures."

While Barcelona have been playing its home games at Montjuic Olympic Stadium in recent seasons, this venue was unavailable for their upcoming match due to a Post Malone concert scheduled for Friday, September 12. This clash of events forced the club to seek alternative arrangements, with the Johan Cruyff Stadium now becoming the de facto venue. In fact, Barcelona had already signed a rental deal with Montjuic’s management team that will last until February 2026, a temporary but necessary agreement as the club navigates the massive renovations at Camp Nou.

The latest setback raises questions about whether Barcelona will be able to play their UEFA Champions League home games at Camp Nou anytime soon. The next big deadline for Barcelona is on October 1, when they are scheduled to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League at home. However, UEFA regulations stipulate that a club cannot switch home stadiums during the same phase of the competition. This means that if Barcelona begins their league stage matches at Montjuic, they will have to stay there until the group phase concludes in late January. Still, Barcelona could apply for a special dispensation to move back to Camp Nou during the league stage if they receive approval.

Barcelona has already agreed a phased return to Camp Nou, as part of an agreement with the city council. The plan, set in three stages, will start by allowing 27,000 spectators to watch matches in the initial phase (1A), before moving up to 47,000 in phase (1B), and eventually welcoming 60,000 fans in phase (1C). Once the full renovation is completed, Camp Nou will be able to host 105,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium in Europe. However, it’s clear that this ambitious project has faced significant hurdles.