Club’s La Liga home games will now be played at their traditional home ground but Champions League games could continue to be hosted at Montjuic
Barcelona will host Athletic Club at the Camp Nou on Saturday after the city council approved a licence allowing the club to reopen part of the rebuilt stadium to supporters for the first time in more than two years.
The partial reopening allows for an initial capacity of 45,401 while construction continues on the upper sections of the ground. It marks the club’s first competitive match at the site since May 2023, ending a long spell at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys at Montjuic during the redevelopment.
The new permit replaces an earlier one granted in October that allowed fewer than 28,000 seats to be used, although Barcelona refused to return to the stadium with that capacity of spectators due to financial reasons.
Earlier this month, the club hosted an open training session attended by around 23,000 fans, which served as an informal, pre-welcome event.
After facing Athletic next weekend, Barcelona travel to London to face Chelsea in the Champions League, before hosting Alaves and Atletico Madrid, both now expected to be played at the Camp Nou.
It is unclear whether the Champions League meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt on 9 December will also be played at the Camp Nou. Uefa regulations do not allow clubs to easily switch stadiums mid-season, which means it is possible Barcelona will continue playing European home games at Montjuic, at least until the knockout stages begin in February next year.
