Barcelona’s Journey Back to Camp Nou: Open Training Session Marks a Historic Step

On Friday, Barcelona held an open training session at Spotify Camp Nou, attended by 23,000 enthusiastic supporters, marking a significant step towards the club’s return to their historic stadium.

Since 2023, Barça has not hosted any matches at Camp Nou, having temporarily moved to the Olympic Stadium to facilitate a €1.5 billion renovation of the iconic venue.

The training session served as a test event in preparation for the anticipated return of official matches later this month. Club President Joan Laporta has indicated that the goal is to resume play for either the LaLiga fixture against Athletic Club on November 22 or against Alavés on November 29, coinciding with the club’s 126th anniversary.

If those dates do not materialize, Barcelona is scheduled to face Atlético Madrid on December 2. The exact timing of their return depends on the local council granting the necessary permits to accommodate a maximum capacity of 45,401 fans.

Currently, Barça holds a license for a capacity of 25,991, which was issued in October. The club is committed to ensuring that more fans can attend before officially returning to play.

Renovation work continues at Camp Nou, with the first two tiers nearing completion; however, the third tier and roof are still under construction. The final completion of the project is estimated for 2027, with the stadium’s capacity gradually increasing to a total of 105,000.

Following the training session, Laporta expressed his desire to welcome former Barça star Lionel Messi back to the club for the stadium’s full inauguration. “It would be a monumental occasion to open the stadium with a full house celebrating Leo,” he stated. “Of course, this depends on Messi’s wishes, and there will be presidential elections before then. If I remain in office, I would be thrilled to have him back.”

Messi’s departure from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 did not afford him a proper farewell due to the hurried nature of his exit and the COVID restrictions at the time. The Argentine has not publicly addressed the possibility of returning for an inaugural match.

The timeline for returning to Camp Nou has been extended longer than initially expected, with hopes for a return at the end of 2024 being pushed back to the current season’s start in September. Due to delays in securing the necessary permits, Barça played their first two home matches of the season at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which has a capacity of only 6,000, before returning to the Olympic Stadium for their last five home games. The club now looks forward to making last Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Elche their final match there.