Barcelona’s long-awaited return to the Spotify Camp Nou has been a major focus for the club over the past few months, with construction crews working round the clock to prepare the stadium for its reopening.
The target is to welcome fans back in mid-September for the La Liga clash against Valencia.
Earlier this summer, the club secured a modified reopening license from the Barcelona City Council, which allows for a partial opening of the ground.
The clearance was initially for accommodating around 27,000 spectators in the Grandstand and North Goal areas – before gradually expanding capacity in later phases.
Fresh setback for Barcelona
However, an initial inspection has revealed more than 200 deficiencies in the first phase of the renovation works, reports RAC1.
The findings leave Barcelona with little margin to complete the phase and process the necessary licenses before the scheduled reopening on September 14.
When will Barcelona fans return to Camp Nou? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The identified defects will need to be addressed swiftly before the licensing process can move forward.
The first phase of the works is critical, as it will enable Barcelona to host home games at the Camp Nou for the first time since May 2023, when the stadium closed for a full-scale redevelopment project.
The inspection comes just weeks before the Blaugrana must also present the Certificate of Completion of Works to the city authorities, La Liga, and UEFA, confirming their readiness to host matches.
Any delays in fixing the deficiencies could threaten the club’s timeline, although officials have not publicly commented on whether the planned reopening date is at risk.
With the season opener approaching and the Valencia fixture marked as the grand return, the coming weeks could prove to be decisive.