UEFA rejects Barca's unprecedented request

UEFA is said to have refused an "unprecedented" request from Barcelona before the kickoff of the 2025/26 Champions League campaign.

According to Catalunya Radio, UEFA denied Barcelona's request to play their first group stage match of the Champions League away from home, hoping for more time to finish preparations at Camp Nou. This means Barca must quickly finalize the venue for their home matches before UEFA's deadline at the end of August.

In their official statement, Barcelona explained the delay was due to the massive scale of the construction, making it impossible to complete the licensing procedures in time, even though the club initially planned to open sections in phases. Barca also assured that they are working closely with the city council and relevant authorities to resolve the issues, and reassured fans that the Espai Barca project's debt repayment schedule will not be affected.

Previously, after more than two years of renovation costing up to £1.25 billion, the new Camp Nou stadium, with a capacity of 105,000 seats, was expected to reopen on August 10 for the Joan Gamper Trophy match. However, the Catalan club had to postpone the event as they had not yet met construction permit requirements.

According to Spanish media, Barca's new target is September 14 for the La Liga match against Valencia. If all goes as planned, this will be a milestone marking the return of fans to their legendary stadium after a long wait.

Because of this, in the first three rounds of La Liga, after securing three points away at Mallorca in the opener, Blaugrana will play two more consecutive away games at Levante and Rayo Vallecano.

Camp Nou has hosted many major football events, from the opening match of the 1982 World Cup, Olympic games in 1992, to fiery El Clasico showdowns and Champions League knockout rounds.

In June 2023, Barcelona decided to close the stadium for comprehensive reconstruction. Originally, the plan was to welcome fans back in the second half of the 2024/25 season, with only about half the seats available. During this waiting period, Barca had to use the Olímpic Lluis Companys stadium as their temporary home for two years.

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