Barcelona announce date for first LALIGA match in Camp Nou since 2023

After about two and a half years, Barcelona will host an official LALIGA match at the Camp Nou, having recently announced that they will play their next league game this weekend (November 22nd) at their historical home ground. 

Barcelona’s Camp Nou rebuild, the key part of the Espai Barça project, which Barcelona took out a reported €1.45 billion loan for, began in earnest in mid-2023 when the club closed the stadium for major works.

The rebuild was planned as a phased programme so the club could return incrementally, but the timetable has been repeatedly pushed back: initial targets for an 18-month turnaround were missed, and planned “first-day back” events (including a Joan Gamper match scheduled for 10 August 2025) were suspended as the club and city council worked through safety and licensing requirements. 

The team spent most of the 2023–25 exile at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Montjuïc), with some earlier fixtures this season staged at the smaller Johan Cruyff Stadium.

After months of negotiation with Barcelona city authorities, the club secured a first occupancy license in mid-October, covering Phase 1A (the Main Stand/Tribuna and South Goal), which allows a partial reopening to roughly 25,991–27,000 spectators. 

After securing the license, Barcelona opened up the stadium to allow spectators to watch the players train but announced that they would wait for Phase 1B clearance (which would boost usable capacity to around 45,000) before hosting an actual match at the stadium. 

They have now received Phase 1B clearance; hence, the announcement that the LALIGA clash against Athletic Club will be held at the Camp Nou this weekend. 

However, the stadium is still some way from the 105,000 capacity goal. The project’s full completion is not expected until 2026–2027. Some municipal statements put the final works beyond summer 2027. 

Meanwhile, with the full opening of the Camp Nou comes Lionel Messi's sensational return, as both the club and the player have expressed the desire to make it happen.