UEFA Approves Barcelona’s Camp Nou Return For Champions League

UEFA has granted Barcelona permission to play Champions League matches at their partially rebuilt Camp Nou stadium, the LaLiga giants announced yesterday.

The news comes just a few days after Barca revealed their long-anticipated return to league action at the stadium, which has faced construction chaos, after more than two years in exile.

The Spanish champions will host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on 9 December, just over two weeks after reinaugurating the stadium against Athletic Bilbao in domestic action on 22 November.

Barcelona stated in a press release that “UEFA accepted the request, considering that all the necessary requirements have been met.”

The Camp Nou return will conclude a messy saga in which Barcelona repeatedly had to postpone their announced reopening of the stadium due to construction delays and a failure to secure safety licences.

The Catalans were humiliated when they were forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground in the early weeks of the season after failing to obtain the necessary permit for Camp Nou due to safety concerns.

They have since been playing at the 55,000-seater Olympic stadium on Montjuic hill.

Barcelona will open the Camp Nou against Bilbao with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is eventually completed.

Earlier in November, the club opened the stadium to 23,000 fans for a training session as a test event in the reopening process.

The delays in the construction work represent a significant financial loss for the club, which relies on the revenue generated by its stadium to regain stability.

Financially troubled Barcelona is estimated to be spending €1.5 billion (£1.3 billion) on the rebuild.