After 2 and a half years! Official: Barcelona allowed to return to Camp Nou, first match against Biba on Saturday

Official news, Barcelona will return to the Nou Camp this Saturday against Bilbao. This will be the first time Barcelona returns to the Nou Camp after nearly two and a half years.

Announcement

FC Barcelona officially announced that the 13th round of La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao, originally scheduled to be held at 16:15 on Saturday, November 22, will finally be held at Barcelona’s home court (Spotify Camp Nou).

This decision stems from the fact that the club has obtained the first occupancy permit for Phase 1B, which allows the stadium's capacity to be increased to 45,401 people. The permit covers the entire side viewing area and is effective in conjunction with the previously approved Phase 1A permit covering the main stand and south goal viewing area.

The club is currently continuing to advance the 1C phase of the project to ensure that the north goal stand can be put back into use and provide full operation, safety and comfort guarantees for members and fans.

Regarding the Champions League, since the required conditions have been met, the club is working closely with UEFA to arrange the Champions League match against Frankfurt to be held at the Spotify Nou Camp Stadium. It is still waiting for final confirmation from UEFA.

Previously, Barcelona had submitted all necessary documents to the local municipal government to obtain the Camp Nou Stadium 1B license. After approval, Camp Nou can reopen and be able to accommodate approximately 45,000 spectators. Previously, the first team had held an open training session at Camp Nou on November 7.

In April 2022, Barcelona officially announced that the Nou Camp will be transformed in June. On May 28, 2023, Barcelona defeated Mallorca 3-0 at home. This was their last game at Camp Nou before the stadium was renovated.

In June 2023, the renovation of Camp Nou officially started, but it was not until the end of 2023 that Barcelona obtained the construction permit for the main renovation project of the Camp Nou stadium, and the renovation of Camp Nou began in full swing.

Barcelona’s 2023/24 season, due to the large-scale construction of Camp Nou, the team’s home court was temporarily moved to the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic Mountain.

On October 17, 2025, Camp Nou received the first phase use permit. According to Marca, the final full completion date for the stadium is around December 2027.