Barcelona forced to host huge La Liga match at tiny 6,000-seater stadium

Just 6,000 fans will be in attendance to watch Barcelona face Valencia on Sunday after they were forced to delay their return to the Camp Nou once again. Barca were given permission by Spanish football chiefs to play their first three games of the 2025-26 La Liga season on the road.

This gave the club additional time to complete the first phase of the Camp Nou's £1.25billion renovation. But for the fifth time in what's become a chaotic year filled with setbacks, Barcelona have failed to meet the deadline.

That's despite Barca being granted permission by the council in April to have building companies work on the Camp Nou 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. As a result of the fresh setback, Sunday's clash with Valencia will now be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

The stadium is home to Barcelona Women and their men's B team. But this weekend it'll see the likes of Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford take to the pitch, with a mere 6,000 fans allowed to watch Hansi Flick's side, who could be five points behind Real Madrid come kick-off.

Barca had explored reversing the fixture to Valencia's home stadium, the Mestalla, or playing at nearby Girona. But the La Liga champions have been forced to settle for their small stadium in the east of Barcelona near the club's training complex.

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Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Barca have played their competitive home matches at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in the Saint-Montjuic district of the city. Initially, Montjuic was only supposed to be their home until November 2024.

Needless to say, the Camp Nou wasn't ready in time, nor was it for further deadlines in February, May and August. Although the Estadi Johan Cruyff will suffice for the Valencia game, Barcelona must inform UEFA of their home stadium for their first set of Champions League fixtures by September 21.

It's been reported that returning to Montjuic until the league phase of the Champions League ends in January is an option. The hope is that the Camp Nou will still be able to host domestic matches with a reduced capacity of around 27,000.

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In early 2023, Barca secured funding from 20 investors including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan to overhaul their iconic stadium. Prior to the ongoing work, the Camp Nou hadn't seen major renovation since it opened in 1957.

The aim of the renovation is to increase the groun'd full capacity to 105,000 with additional corporate facilities and a retractable roof. Completion is currently scheduled for June 2026.

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