One of the stories of the last 12 months with Barcelona has been regarding the possible return date to the Spotify Camp Nou. The club had hoped to be back at their iconic stadium, which has been underdoing redevelopment work since June 2023, by the end of 2024, but it was not to be, and they have since missed further deadlines.
A February return had been expected by Barcelona officials, although this was pushed back to May a couple of months ago. There was genuine hope on this occasion that they would be able to return at this time, and there has been a great desire to considering that the first fixture back would be El Clasico.
However, it is not to be again for Barcelona, who have now confirmed that they will be unable to return to the Spotify Camp Nou until the start of next season at the earliest. The Athletic have reported that the Catalan club have informed their Socios that this will be the case, and that Hansi Flick’s side will remain at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
Barcelona had faced being kicked out of the Estadi Olimpic at the start of May due to summer concerts being held at the stadium, although these being cancelled has allowed the club to extend their lease for the remainder of the season.
There were many reasons that Barcelona were desperate to be back at the Spotify Camp Nou this season, but the biggest was because of the financial benefits that they would receive compared to playing at the Estadi Olimpic, where they often do not sell out. The money missed out on has been massive, and more has now fallen by the wayside.
