Barcelona will face Paris Saint-Germain at an alternative 55,000-seater stadium as Camp Nou renovations are delayed, affecting their Champions League plans. (Image Credit: Yahoo Sports)
Barcelona's much-anticipated Champions League matchup with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will not be held at the historic Camp Nou, as the stadium is still being renovated. The Spanish giants will instead play at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, the 55,000-capacity stadium that was their home for a couple of seasons ago.
The club had originally intended to come back to a newly renovated Camp Nou at the beginning of the 2025-26 season. Construction setbacks have now led Barcelona to look for alternative venues. For their opening La Liga home match of the season against Valencia, Barcelona hosted the match at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, a smaller stadium with only 6,000 seats that is not within the city.
"Barcelona is in the process of acquiring the administrative licenses required to open the Spotify Camp Nou in the next few months," the club added in an official announcement.
The confrontation against PSG is scheduled for October 1 in the second round of the Champions League group stage. The European champions of last season's campaign, the French side, will seek to impose their control over Spain, while Barcelona seeks to take a deep impression on the Old Continent stage despite the transient home disadvantage.
The selection of Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys represents a big step up from Johan Cruyff Stadium both in terms of crowd capacity and environment, and hence tens of thousands of supporters can get to watch the high-profile match.
Barcelona's fixture schedule also has them hosting Getafe in La Liga at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday. The smaller stadium is normally the home of Barcelona's women's squad and has been used for some games amid Camp Nou renovations. Although the lower capacity is not ideal for big games, the team is used to adjusting to temporary facilities.
Providing an added dramatic element to the encounter, Luis Enrique, who used to coach Barcelona, is now in charge of PSG and played a key role in helping the French side win European honors last term. His return to Barcelona, even if at a new stadium, will be under intense scrutiny by fans and the media.
In spite of the logistical issues, Barcelona is still determined to finish Camp Nou renovations and provide a full-stadium capacity experience within the next few months. The club and supporters are all waiting eagerly for the day the legendary stadium finally reopens.
