Barcelona face fresh Camp Nou setback over return deadline

Barcelona face more delays over their planned return to face Valencia at the Estadi Camp Nou on September 14.

The club agreed a deal with La Liga at the start of the season to play their first three league games of the campaign away from home.

That was granted and Hansi Flick’s defending champions have played on the road at Mallorca, Levante and Rayo Vallecano in August.

That extra time, alongside the ongoing international break was supposed to be utilised to get the final checks confirmed in time to host Los Che.

However, the situation remains gridlocked, with Barcelona City Council yet to release a key licence to allow for a reduced capacity crowd to attend the game.

As per reports from Mundo Deportivo., La Liga have granted Barcelona permission to play the Valencia tie at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, if the Camp Nou misses the deadline.

The club are expected to receive notice in the coming days over whether the local authority will issue a First Occupancy License for the Spotify Camp Nou.

Barcelona hit by fresh Camp Nou delay

If they are forced to play at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, the return date will then be pushed on a week, to the Getafe game on September 21.

From there on, if the Camp Nou is still not viable, Barcelona could request a fresh agreement with the council to return to the Estadi Olimpic.

That comes after a move from the club to step away from their base from last season in the hope of pushing ahead with the Camp Nou.

However, the report also indicates the deadline will not be consistently pushed back, and the Real Sociedad game will decide the rest of 2026 – as no Camp Nou will mean UEFA demand all Champions League games to be played elsewhere until at least January.