Barça is already preparing to end the season in Montjuïc… and start the next one away from the Camp Nou | Relief
Return Barcelona to host Spotify at Camp Nou It is more certain that it can be postponed until next season, although the organization chaired by Joan Laporta is keen to speed up work, expedite installation and request the necessary licenses as soon as possible. There are processes that do not depend so much on this, and no matter how hard the almost 2,000 workers work, the time is just right to be able to play this season, even though the subscription registration phase has already ended, without covering that which was expected without the need for a draw.
First, the board of directors set the return date as November 25, 2024, the day when Barça will celebrate its 125th anniversaryafter December and finally at the last press conference led by Vice President Elena Fort in early October, February had already flown by as they were forced to play the entire first phase Champions at Montjuic (UEFA does not allow changing stadiums in the same round). The next day, another vice president, Antonio Escudero, said in Radio Catalonia that it would be better to move things forward to March, and Treasurer Ferran Olivet explained at a meeting of delegates on Saturday that budget laid in the same month, “pessimistic” vision.
As Relevo has learned, FC Barcelona has already contacted BSM (Barcelona Serveis municipal authorities), the company that manages Olympic Stadium and it depends on the city councilto extend the contract until the end of the season and be able to recover in case we don’t make it in time for the second stage of the Champions League. The club has publicly ruled out the possibility of alternating the two venues, so the dates are very tight. It would be a logistical mess to play the Champions League in Montjuïc and the Champions League at the Camp Nou just to rush the opening night. This is out of the question.
If Barca finish in the top eight of the league, they won’t play the round of 16 until the first half of March. This is an optimistic date. But if they finally finish the classification in ninth position, they will have to play at home in the second and third weeks of February, which will disrupt plans and make it even more difficult to complete everything by those dates.
A ten million gap that can be corrected in three away games
Failure would mean a gap of ten million euros, and this is exactly what Barcelona stipulated in just two months, during which it could use Spotify with the option 62,000 viewers. This includes all box office receipts, subscriptions, sponsors, merchandising… which are not currently achieved on such a scale in the Olympic Stadium. Although Barça’s economy is in the red, and ten million is a lot, they could compensate for this with other items, especially given the excellent performance of the team, which could bring them more income if they go far in the Champions League .
The postponement of Spotify Camp Nou until next season is practically an open secret within the company. Actually, In the 2025/26 season calendar, Barcelona will play the first three league matches away from home. This way, along with the national team break, we will have another month of reserve, and we will be able to move forward with our work without having to host an audience. This is a very common request among clubs that have carried out work on their stadiums: Villarreal and Atlético have already asked for this, and Real Madrid even twice.
The organization is pushing to complete this first phase of work at the end of December and then wait for licenses to be issued, although there are differing views within the club that March is the most logical month. And March is a risk, given the calendar. Just in case, the Barça division will already secure the Olympic Stadium until May. According to BSM’s own website, there are no activities planned until July 1 other than football: an Imagine Dragons concert. Barça are close to becoming a loanee until the end of the season.