BARCELONA CONFIRM THEIR NOU CAMP RETURN DATE AFTER YEAR-LONG DELAY TO £1.25BN REFURBISHMENT
Barcelona will make their long-awaited return to the Nou Camp this weekend after a year-long delay to the stadium's £1.25billion refurbishment.
The LaLiga giants have been locked out of their iconic home since May 2023, playing most of their matches since at the city's Olympic Stadium.
During that time, the club have embarked on a new and so-far successful era led by players such as Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphina under the management of Hansi Flick.
But their stars, who last year won three trophies and came tantalisingly close to reaching the Champions League final, have not received the adulation of the crowd at the Nou Camp.
That is all set to change, though, with Barca announcing a triumphant return to their home on Saturday for their league clash against Athletic Club.
'We've dreamed about the return. Now, it's here. We're back home. Back at Spotify Camp Nou,' the club said.
While a seismic moment for the club, the match will not be sold out due to ongoing work at the stadium. Only 45,401 fans will be allowed to attend after Barca were granted a special licence.
The project, set to increase the Nou Camp's capacity from 99,000 to 105,000 as well as improve its dressing rooms and tunnel, has proven difficult for the club to finalise within the timeframes initially set.
But this weekend's fixture being given the green light is seen as positive news for Barca, who said they are also aiming to welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Nou Camp when they face the German side in the Champions League next month.
Though the return to the stadium this weekend will only see the stadium 43 per cent full, it will almost hold the same number of people as the 55,000 seater Olympic Stadium - where they have played the majority of their home matches since 2023.
Flick's side have also featured at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which was erected in honour of the late Barcelona and Netherlands legend in 2017, but holds just 6,000 fans.
Talk of a return to the Nou Camp began hotting up when Barca were granted permission to host a match there in October - but with a reduced crowd of around just 25,000.
The club decided that it made more sense to remain at the Olympic Stadium until they could welcome more fans in, but did open the Nou Camp's doors to around 23,000 spectators for an open training session earlier this month.
In the week after, the internet was ablaze with speculation that Barca legend Lionel Messi could return to the Nou Camp after the Argentinian superstar posted snaps of himself visiting the arena in the dead of night.
'Last night I returned to a place I miss with all my heart,' Messi wrote on social media.
'A place where I was immensely happy, where you all made me feel a thousand times over like the happiest person in the world.
'I hope I can return someday and not just to say goodbye as a player, which I never got to do...'
Barca president Joan Laporta, however, was quick to dispel rumours of a possible return for LaLiga's all-time top scorer.
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