FC Barcelona will not return to the Spotify Camp Nou this weekend. The delays in the works of the stadium continue and despite the insistence of the club (which invited some journalists to the stadium this morning) it still hasn't got the license from Barcelona's city council. Without it, the club will play Sunday's match at the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys in Montjuïc, where the club played the last two seasons.
The club had previously announced that the stadium would reopen in time for the current season in August. After missing several deadlines, the club refuses to give a date, but this morning, the club's vice president said that they hoped they would get the approval from the city hall this afternoon, that they had supplied all papers and even saying that it was "the safest stadium in Spain".
However, on a recent visit, members of the municipal government and security forces detected several rectifiable issues during their latest visit to the construction site and for reasons of "rigor" and "safety," the reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou is currently unfeasible.
Quoted on RTVE, the Barcelona Fire Chief said that there are deficiencies in the evacuation routes. "We have detected elements that affect security. They primarily affect the evacuation routes. These elements must be fixed so that people who go to the stadium can do so safely. So that a normal exit can be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the initial plan. We have detected elements that must be corrected before we can grant the license".
When it reopens, the Spotify Camp Nou will only have 27,000 seats available. Works will continue and the rooftop of the stadium won't be built until the end of season 2026/27.