Camp Nou return delayed again, Barça-Valencia to be played at Johan Cruyff Stadium

Less than a week before their La Liga clash with Valencia, FC Barcelona has confirmed that the Camp Nou is not yet ready to host matches, and the game will instead be played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium this coming Sunday, September 14. 

The club released an official statement confirming the venue on Tuesday evening, with activity and security licenses still pending for the stadium undergoing refurbishment. 

Five days out from the game, it’s been announced that the game will take place in the 6,000-capacity ground normally home to the club’s women’s team and B team, Barça Atlètic. 

"FC Barcelona announces that the match corresponding to Matchday 4 of LaLiga, scheduled for Sunday, September 14 at 9 pm against Valencia CF, will not be able to take place at the Spotify Camp Nou," the statement read.

"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 thanked members and fans "for their understanding and support during such a complex yet exciting process as the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou."

Ticket lottery

With capacity for Barça-Valencia now limited to 6,000, the club is launching a ticket lottery for members who wish to attend.

Only the 16,151 members who held full passes for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons at Montjuïc – holders of the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Pass – are eligible to participate.

Eligible members can request from 10am on Wednesday, September 10 until 10am on Friday, September 12.

Only members selected in the lottery will be charged for tickets.

Delays

Barça had already announced that the team would play the August 10 pre-season Gamper Trophy match at the Spotify Camp Nou, but this was later moved to the Johan Cruyff Stadium, located next to the team's training facilities in Sant Joan Despí. The club also previously announced a return to their iconic home stadium at an unspecified date before the end of the calendar year 2024, another deadline that was missed. 

While Barça have played at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium in the last couple of seasons, the venue was unavailable for the Valencia match due to a Post Malone concert scheduled on Friday, September 12. However, the Catalan team had already signed a deal with the site's managers to continue renting the site until February 2026.

The rental agreement will remain in place until Barça can return to the Spotify Camp Nou, a date that is yet to be determined.

The next deadline for Barça is October 1, when the Catalan team will face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League at home. 

UEFA regulations stipulate that a team cannot move home stadium during the same phase of competition, meaning that if they begin the league phase in the Montjuïc stadium, then they would have to stay there until that tournament phase is complete, in late January.

However, Barça could apply for special dispensation, which if granted, could allow them to move into the Camp Nou midway through the Champions League group stage.

Three phases

The return to the Camp Nou will be done in three separate phases, as agreed with the city council. The first one (1A) will see 27,000 spectators permitted into the ground. The second, 1B, will see 47,000 spectators, while the last (1C) will see a total of 60,000 fans.

After this, at some point in the future, Barça will move back to Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, where it played for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, while construction on the third stand and the stadium's ceiling resumes.

Once the new Spotify Camp Nou is completed, it will have a capacity of 105,000.