Barcelona's Camp Nou Homecoming Dreams Crushed as Critical Deadline Looms

Barcelona may be compelled to play their entire Champions League group stage matches away from Camp Nou, as sources indicate the Catalan club doesn't anticipate stadium renovation work will finish before next month's home fixture against Paris Saint-Germain.

Last June, Barcelona publicly promised supporters they would return to Camp Nou for the Joan Gamper Trophy, their final preseason match, but it subsequently became clear that Barcelona hadn't received authorization to host matches at the venue, with approval from municipal authorities still far from being secured.

Barcelona was obligated to start the campaign at the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff, though this facility doesn't meet UEFA's Champions League requirements. They have been working frantically to complete Camp Nou preparations before the PSG match on Oct. 1, but according to Mundo Deportivo, they have already acknowledged they will likely begin their European campaign at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The complication lies in UEFA's rules requiring clubs to designate their home venue prior to the tournament's start and play all league phase home matches at that identical location.

Consequently, if Barcelona fails to secure permission to return to Camp Nou before Oct. 1, they must designate Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys as their home venue through the knockout phase.

The report suggests Barcelona, despite understanding the explicit regulations, believes they might negotiate with UEFA for exceptional authorization to change venues during the league phase, though the source of this optimism remains uncertain. The third fixture against Olympiacos on Oct. 21 is identified as a possible deadline.

UEFA possesses authority to require teams in their tournaments to change home venues, but would only exercise this power if legitimate concerns existed about the original venue's capacity to host matches.

Barcelona retains the option to negotiate a venue change with UEFA for the knockout rounds. The playoffs commence Feb. 17 before the round of 16 begins March 10, which could mark Barcelona's first Champions League match at Camp Nou if Hansi Flick's team advances from the league phase as anticipated.

Club president Joan Laporta persistently maintains publicly that a Camp Nou return is imminent, but supporters are becoming increasingly impatient as they wait to return to their iconic home for the first time since summer 2023.