Barcelona rule out Estadi Johan Cruyff as option for La Liga home debut; Montjuic remains Plan B

The continued delays of a return to Spotify Camp Nou have become a hurdle for FC Barcelona ahead of the start of the new season.

While the initial plan after delays over the past six months was for the team to return to the stadium for the Gamper Trophy, the failure to acquire the required licenses led to further postponement.

Now, the idea is for Barça to return to Camp Nou for their first La Liga home game of the new season vs Valencia in mid-September.

But, concerns remain about the readiness of the stadium and as such, reports suggested that Estadi Johan Cruyff, the reserve team stadium, is seen as an option to host the match.

Estadi Johan Cruyff not an option

However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Estadi Johan Cruyff has been fully ruled out as an option for the La Liga opener against Valencia on 13 or 14 September by Barcelona.

The reason is clear: the stadium, located in the Ciutat Esportiva and used by Barça Atletic and the women’s team, does not meet the minimum capacity required to host a top-flight league match – currently set at 8,000 seats.

The Cruyff Stadium has a capacity of 6,000 and is therefore classified as a Category 3 venue. Only Category 1 and 2 stadiums are permitted to host La Liga matches. Furthermore, the club has never considered installing temporary stands to expand capacity at the ground.

Camp Nou the Plan A, Montjuic Plan B

Barcelona continue to prioritise the Spotify Camp Nou as their Plan A for hosting home matches at the start of the La Liga season.

The club’s board remains focused on making this possible and, unless it becomes unfeasible due to construction delays or unmet safety criteria set by the City Council, they will stick to this plan.

However, a contingency is necessary, especially after what happened with the scheduling of the Joan Gamper Trophy.

The backup venue to the Spotify Camp Nou continues to be the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.

The venue is scheduled to host a Post Malone concert on 12 September – an obstacle that could prevent Barcelona from playing their home match there just one or two days later.

However, ticket sales for the concert have reportedly been low, and there is a chance the event could be moved to a smaller venue, freeing up Montjuïc for football use.