In a new development, the LaLiga team FC Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council have reached an agreement to modify the previously granted activity license for the Barça home ground – the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain – adapting it to the current state of the stadium’s renovation works.
‘BU’ stated that initially, the Council had approved a license for a partial reopening to host 62,000 spectators covering the first and the second tiers.
However, as that phase of the construction has not been completed both the parties have now agreed to revise the license reducing the permitted capacity to around 27,000.
The FC Barcelona, colloquially known as the Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in the LaLiga, the top flight of Spanish football.
The 55,926-capacity Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, formerly known as the Estadi de Montjuïc and Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and also known in English as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The FC Barcelona is currently playing its home games at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (also known as the Montjuic) in Barcelona, Spain. This is a temporary arrangement due to the ongoing renovation of their home stadium – the Spotify Camp Nou.
The Spotify Camp Nou is a stadium in Barcelona, Spain, and the home of the LaLiga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation and with a planned increased seating capacity of 105,000 it will be the largest stadium in terms of seating capacity in Spain and Europe and the third largest association football stadium in the world.
The City Council of Barcelona is the top-tier administrative and governing body of the Municipality of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Sub-phases
‘BU’ further stated that in recent weeks, the club and the Council have agreed to divide the first phase of construction into three sub-phases.
The First Sub-phase will allow access to the completed Tribune and the South Goal areas (27,000-capacity) and the second will include the Lateral Section (increasing the capacity to 45,000).
The Final Phase would come once the works on the North Goal are complete allowing full use of the first and the second tiers (up to 62,000).
This agreement does not mean that the Barça has received the final approval to open the stadium for the September 14th LaLiga match against the LaLiga team Valencia CF (Matchday 4).
For that to happen the club must first complete work on the Tribuna and the South Goal, ensure the required access points and the safety measures are in place and then formally apply for the First Occupation Licence from the Council.
A Licence of First Occupation is an official certificate issued by a Spanish Town Hall confirming that a newly-built property complies with all the building regulations, the planning laws and the habitation standards.
Additionally, the club must submit a Partial Initial Safety Control (ECA) which involves various safety and prevention checks.
Following that the Council will dispatch its inspectors for a full stadium review and the project must also receive favorable reports from the Civil Protection and the Fire Department.
Only after the above steps are completed will the official license be granted. The process is neither quick nor simple though the club is now more optimistic than it was in the lead-up to the Gamper Trophy match where the idea of a partial opening was already under discussion.
The Joan Gamper Trophy or the Joan Gamper Cup is an annual association football exhibition match held in August before the start of Barcelona’s LaLiga Season (August 15th, 2025-May 24th, 2026) where the top-division clubs from the world compete against them.
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