Barcelona plans to return to Camp Nou without indoor toilets in February

Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains adamant that work is on track for the club to return home to the Camp Nou by the end of 2024, but there are conflicting reports about the stadium’s readiness by that date.

Laporta assured supporters last week that work was on track to resume before the end of the year, with the club desperate to get back on track due to the financial impact of playing at the Estadio Olimpico Lluis Companys on Montjuic. While they cannot return to full capacity at the Camp Nou, not only are they paying Barcelona City Council to play at Montjuic, but their attendances have been hit hard, with the current season ticket numbers at less than a third of the usual Camp Nou numbers.

Bar Canaletes says the club plans to return to the Camp Nou in February with a capacity of 64,000 spectators, which would require postponing the construction of the third tier and concentrating all efforts on the first and second tiers. There would be no toilets integrated into the stadium, but they would be placed around the pitch. Giant screens would cover the work, but this would allow the club to save millions of dollars on rent for the Montjuic stadium.

FC Barcelona had originally planned to return to their stadium on November 29 to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary, but delays have already led to the cancellation of that plan. This week, the Blaugrana also obtained a one-month permit from Barcelona City Council to work around the clock on the stadium in an attempt to speed up the work and bring their return closer.