Barcelona Asks to Play Away in Champions League Due to Camp Nou Renovations

The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, has revealed that the club has requested UEFA for the possibility of playing its first Champions League match away from home, due to the unavailability of the Spotify Camp Nou. The Champions League group stage will begin between September 16 and 18. Barcelona has played the last two seasons at the Olympic Stadium in the city while the Camp Nou remodeling works are carried out.

What we have asked UEFA is to allow us to play the first match away from home. The draw is on August 28th and we will see what happens then. I hope UEFA allows us to play away. We have an increasingly better relationship with UEFA.

Joan Laporta

The original plan was to return to Camp Nou in November 2024, but this date has been postponed. Barça announced that it would return to the stadium on August 10 for the Joan Gamper Trophy, but it was moved to the Estadi Johan Cruyff due to licensing issues related to the stadium’s reopening.

Construction at Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou, started in June 2023.Although Laporta cannot give an exact date for the team’s return to Camp Nou, he has stated that it must happen this season to meet financial commitments.

We are not considering the possibility of not returning [this season]. All the budgets we have drawn up for next season and all the commitments we have based on the financing contract are based on the return to Spotify Camp Nou.

Joan Laporta

Laporta added that the club is accustomed to dealing with complicated situations and hopes that things will calm down as soon as possible to be able to return to the Spotify Camp Nou and fulfill what is budgeted in the financing contract.

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In addition, Laporta reiterated his wish that Lionel Messi, the club’s all-time top scorer, be present at the official inauguration of the renovated Camp Nou, although he has not spoken with Messi or his entourage about it. Since Messi left Barça in August 2021, there have been rumors about a tribute match to honor the captain of Argentina and Inter Miami.

We always said at the end of Leo [Messi]’s time at Barça that the best thing would be to inaugurate the new Spotify Camp Nou with a tribute to Leo Messi. I am sure that his family has been told, it has even been discussed, and it is something we would love to do, but it also depends on Leo and his family. Hopefully. It would be very nice.

Joan Laporta

The Barça, who won LaLiga last season, will play their first three league matches away from home against Mallorca, Levante and Rayo Vallecano. The Catalan team will wait until September 14 to play at home, when they face Valencia.