FC Barcelona has confirmed that their LaLiga Matchday 9 clash against Girona FC will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Saturday, October 18, instead of the long-anticipated return to the new Spotify Camp Nou. They made this revelation in a post made on the team’s official website. the Club recently played away from home, losing 4-1 to Sevilla and before that played their UEFA League clash against PSG at Montjuïc.
The club says it’s still ironing out a few final details to secure the needed administrative permits for reopening Camp Nou. Softfootball reported that Barcelona was expecting to return in September, with even Joan Laporta urging fans to be patient with the club. Officials remain in touch with the Barcelona City Council, who will carry out the last round of inspections in the coming days.
They wrote:
FC Barcelona announces that the match corresponding to Matchday 9 of LaLiga, against Girona FC, which will be played on Saturday, October 18 at 4:15 p.m., will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
The Club continues to work on obtaining the necessary administrative permits for the opening of the Spotify Camp Nou and remains in constant contact with Barcelona City Council in order to carry out the required inspections over the coming days.
Even though Barça expects to receive the phase 1A occupancy licence soon, which covers the main stand and goal, allowing up to 27,000 fans, the team plans to wait a little longer for phase 1B, which includes the lateral stand and bumps the total capacity to about 45,000 spectators.
According to the club, this decision makes more sense for a few reasons. First, the approval for phase 1A got delayed and is now close to that of 1B, so waiting seems smarter. Second, playing at the Olympic Stadium still brings in decent revenue, even more than previous matches held at Johan Cruyff Stadium. And third, giving the operations team a few extra days could help avoid last-minute chaos before reopening Camp Nou.
From this game on, Barça members will also use a new digital pass system for access, something the club says will stay in place till the season ends. More details about how it works will be shared soon.
The club thanked fans and members for their patience, saying the journey back to Camp Nou has been complex but exciting and that every step brings them closer to finally coming home.
