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Barcelona will return to its famous Nou Camp stadium after more than two years when it faces Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish League this weekend.
The stadium will reopen after a partial refurbishment with a reduced capacity of 45,401 for the match on Saturday 22 November (15:15 GMT).
Barcelona played its last official match at the Nou Camp on May 28, 2023 against Real Mallorca, before the stadium was closed for renovations.
Work began in June 2023 at a cost of around £1.1 billion, with the aim of modernizing the stadium and expanding its capacity to 105,000 – making it one of the largest stadiums in the world.
The initial plan was to return to playing matches at the stadium in November 2024, to coincide with Barcelona’s 125th anniversary, but the Catalan club has since faced a series of delays.
They played mostly at the 55,000-seat Olympique Stadium on the city’s Montjuïc Hill during renovations.
The Spanish champions also played two matches at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium, home of the women’s team, this season after failing to obtain the permit they needed to play at the Nou Camp for safety reasons.
The club said: “Barcelona celebrates the ability to compete again at its home stadium and to continue progressing in the comprehensive transformation project for the new Camp Nou.”
They added that they are liaising with UEFA to hold next week’s Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the refurbished stadium, although official confirmation is still pending.
The Nou Camp has served as Barcelona’s main stadium since its opening in 1957 and previously had a capacity of 99,000 spectators.
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