Barça return to Spotify Camp Nou after more than two years

After 909 days since the stadium closed for construction, football returned to Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday.

FC Barcelona played their first competitive match back at home, beating Athletic Club 4-0 and marking the beginning of a new era.

For now, however, the stadium looks far from its future final form: capacity is limited to 45,000 spectators, less than half of what it will hold once the project is completed.

But even with scaffolding, exposed structures, and the smell of construction dust, fans returned to the stadium filled with excitement.

"It's a very special emotion. Even if it's still half under construction, we are coming back home. It’s not the same as going to Montjuïc, and this is what we culers want," says Xavi, who has been coming to the stadium for thirty years.

The comeback arrives at the halfway point of the stadium's reconstruction, with the entire third tier and the roof still to be completed. The final completion date is expected at the end of 2027, more than a year later than initially planned.

"I remember before the construction works, everytime you would come in the stadium, you would be like: 'Wow.' I hope this still happens now," says Joel.

Many fans are happy because returning also means ending the more than two-year hiatus at Montjuïc, a stadium that was harder to access and where seats changed constantly.

"I've been coming to Montjuïc since last year and this is my first time as a member at Camp Nou. I am very excited. I come from Isona, a town in Pallars, northern Catalonia, and it takes us two hours by car on each way to get here," Míriam explains.

For this historic occasion, demand has been huge. Tickets for fans without a season pass started at €199, with a 20% discount for members, though the high prices sparked criticism.

Many of the supporters who attended the match today had travelled long distances from abroad. Antony and his group of friends came all the way from Australia. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he says.

Peter and his daughter Maya made the trip from Denmark, a gift from the parents to their daughter just to see this game. "She's a big supporter of Barça," he says.

Like them, those who managed to secure a seat were in for a memorable day.

The stadium opened exceptionally early, at 2.15 pm, two hours before kick-off, for a large welcome-back celebration.

The club urged all supporters to wear blaugrana colours. "We want the Spotify Camp Nou to look spectacular on such a special day," the club said.

The stadium filled up much earlier than usual, with plenty of blaugrana colours and excited fans waving their scarves.

DJ Mon set the atmosphere before the match, followed by a performance from Catalan music sensations Figa Flawas.

As the players took to the pitch, one of the most emotional moments arrived: the club anthem was sung by the Young Choir of the Orfeó Català, accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display.

The kickoff was also very special. The two Barça members with the most seniority in the club, Juan Canela and Jordi Penas, performed the ceremonial kickoff.

The entire stadium rose to applaud the two lifelong members, who were also present at the stadium’s inauguration in 1957. 

One unusual aspect of the match was the absence of an away fan section. The club says it does not yet have a designated area for visiting supporters and argues that security cannot be guaranteed due to ongoing construction. As a result, no tickets were allocated to Athletic Club fans.

Strong performance on debut

Barça came into the game still struggling with numerous absences, with key players like Pedri, Rashford, and Gavi unavailable, and De Jong suspended.

Despite the setbacks, Barça delivered a commanding performance from the first minute, executing their trademark high press far more effectively than in recent games.

The early pressure paid off almost immediately, with an insistent Robert Lewandowski opening the scoring in the 4th minute.

Throughout the first half, Barça maintained relentless intensity, giving the Basque side very few opportunities.

Just before halftime, Ferran Torres was set free against Unai Simón, thanks to a perfectly timed pass from Lamine Yamal’s skillful left foot, and he calmly finished to make it 2-0.

After the break, the script remained the same. Barça continued to dominate, and Fermín quickly made it 3-0 in the 3rd minute of the second half.

Athletic never looked like mounting a comeback, and they sealed their own fate with a reckless foul on Fermín by Sancet, who was shown a straight red card.

From that point on, the match turned into a celebration. Raphinha returned from injury to a hero's welcome, receiving the biggest ovation of the night as the stadium chanted his name.

With absolute control, Barça circulated the ball with ease, wearing down the Basque side, who were now playing with ten men, while the crowd roared 'oé, oé' with every pass.

Although the attendance was similar to recent games at Montjuïc, the fans' enthusiasm made the stadium much louder than the Olympic Stadium had been.

The stellar performance was capped by a moment of brilliance from Yamal, who set up Ferran for a solo finish, completing the 4-0.

With the victory and the team atop La Liga (pending Real Madrid's result), the Catalans celebrated their return to Camp Nou with a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the Barcelona sky, sending one clear message: "We are back home."

First game for many players

The match was special not only for the fans but also for many players, who were stepping onto the new Camp Nou pitch for the first official match of their careers.

Joan García, the newly signed goalkeeper who returned from injury for the game, made his first saves at the iconic stadium, keeping a clean sheet with a confident performance.

Fermín, another debutant at the new Camp Nou, marked the occasion in style by finding the back of the net.

Cubarsí, Casadó, Bernal, Olmo and Dro also enjoyed their first official minutes on the pitch of the renovated stadium. 

For others, like Catalan star Lamine Yamal, it almost felt like a debut all over again: before today, he had only played 15 minutes in the stadium, on the day of his breakthrough against Betis, just before construction began, and he was only 15 years old at the time. 

Coach Hansi Flick had never managed a single game in the iconic stadium before today. 

Businesses celebrate return

"These last two years have been very long, more or less; we survived," Antonio from the Copan restaurant told Catalan News. He has been working at the same restaurant, and for him, Saturday felt like "if it was the first time"; he was very "uncertain" about what consumers would ask.

Among his clients are workers from nearby offices, as well as football supporters, some of whom have been coming to the same bar for 27 years. "It will be like a reunion," he said before explaining that during a match day, he can triple the revenue of any other day.

Just in front of the Copan restaurant, there is a store dedicated to Barça merchandise, run by Josep Ferrer.

"Without any football games in the stadium, business is nonexistent," he told Catalan News. "At the end of the day, the hope has come back," after having had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then having to survive the construction works of the stadium.

"Today is just a test, everything will be welcome, the most important thing was to open the store," he said, "we really needed the reopening, we needed it like water or like breathing."

Other restaurants near the Spotify Camp Nou were opening their doors for the first time after recently changing ownership. Bayo's new owner was preparing sandwiches and tapas for takeout.

Meanwhile, nearby residents were wondering how the day would unfold hours before the game started, including mobility, security, and the number of people expected.

"I see that the city council is working hard to make this possible," Anna Ramon, president of the Camp Nou residents' association, said to the Catalan News Agency (ACN). She said that local authorities have installed more video cameras and hope "that people take part in this, so the neighborhood does not have any problem as we have seen in the past."

"We must be sure that these problems will not happen again, and that everything will improve, as they are better preparing public transport, and setting a transport mobility plan that does not allow private vehicles nearby," she said.