By Barcelona’s long awaited return to Camp Nou will not come immediately after the October international break, with the club confirming that their upcoming Champions League fixture against Olympiakos will be staged at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
The Catalans are still waiting on the necessary licence to reopen their historic home, leaving them unable to set a firm date for the move back.
For weeks, local reports suggested that Barcelona were optimistic of resuming games at Camp Nou in the near future, but visible progress has yet to materialise, the announcement comes as a surprise to many, especially after UEFA had previously listed the Olympiakos tie on October 21st at the Spotify Camp Nou.
There remains a slim possibility the stadium could reopen in time for the La Liga clash with Girona on October 18th, their first game after the international break, but for now Barça have confirmed that Olympiakos will visit Montjuïc instead.
Reports suggest Barcelona may delay their return to Camp Nou until the second half of November, after the third international break. The main reason would be financial, as Montjuïc with its 55,000 capacity can host nearly twice the number of supporters compared to the first phase of Camp Nou’s reopening, which would initially be limited to just 27,000 fans.
Although renting Montjuïc from the City Council costs Barcelona between €300,000 and €900,000 per match, the higher gate receipts could outweigh those expenses, in fact, it may prove more practical for the club to hold off until the second phase of work at Camp Nou is complete, when capacity is expected to rise to around 45,000. Even so, commitments to investors could ultimately determine whether the return is pushed back further.
