Barcelona have announced their Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain will be played at the Olympic Stadium as uncertainty persists regarding their return to Spotify Camp Nou.
Barça have opened the LaLiga season at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff and will host Getafe there on Sunday.
They have still not officially ruled out a return to Camp Nou, which is undergoing a €1.5 billion ($1.76bn) refurbishment, against Real Sociedad on Sept. 28, but will definitely not face PSG there three days later.
“Barcelona announce that the second match of the Champions League group stage, scheduled for Oct. 1 against Paris Saint-Germain, will be played at the Olympic Stadium,” the club confirmed in a statement on Friday.
“The club continues to work intensively to obtain the necessary administrative permits for the opening of Spotify Camp Nou in the coming months.
“Barcelona would like to thank its members and fans for their understanding and support throughout such a complex and exciting process as the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou.”
Barça left Camp Nou in 2023 and spent the last two seasons at the 50,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in the city.
They had hoped to return home for the start of this season, but delays to obtaining the necessary permits from the local council have led to them playing at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, home to the women’s side and the men’s reserve team.
However, they do have the option to extend their lease at the Olympic Stadium until February so could now decide to take that up.
Per UEFA’s regulations, teams are required to play all of their Champions League group games at the same stadium, although the wording does leave some potential for a change in certain circumstances.
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Teams are then allowed to change stadiums before the knockout rounds.
UEFA had given Barça an away game first to give them more time to get Camp Nou ready, wirh Hansi Flick’s side kicking off their European campaign wirh a 2-1 win at Newcastle United on Thursday.
If they are able to return to Camp Nou against Real Sociedad, it would be with a capped capacity of around 27,000 and not in line with UEFA’s stricter stadium requirements.
The plan is to then gradually increase the attendance to between 50,000 and 60,000. The ground will hold 105,000 when the revamp is finished.
