Camp Nou Reopens: Barcelona Finally Gets Green Light For Champions League Nights

‎UEFA has officially approved Barcelona’s return to hosting Champions League matches at their partially rebuilt Camp Nou.

‎The announcement comes just days after the club confirmed it would resume LaLiga games at the stadium following more than two years away due to construction delays.

‎The long-awaited comeback ends a turbulent period marked by repeated setbacks in the renovation project.

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

‎Barcelona said in a statement that “UEFA accepted the request, considering that all the necessary requirements have been met.”

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

‎Barcelona were embarrassingly forced to play two early-season matches at the 6,000-seat Johan Cruyff Stadium after failing to secure the necessary safety permits for Camp Nou.

‎The setback highlighted the ongoing issues surrounding the club’s massive renovation project.

‎They have since then been playing in 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.

‎They opened the stadium up for 23,000 fans to watch a training session earlier in November as a test event in the reopening process.

‎The construction delays have dealt a major financial blow to Barcelona, which relies heavily on stadium revenue to restore stability.

‎The financially strained club is investing an estimated €1.5 billion ($1.74 billion) into the Camp Nou rebuild.