Barcelona City Council conducts fresh assessment on Camp Nou ahead of potential re-opening next month | OneFootball

After a long span of waiting, it appears Barcelona are finally closing in on securing a return to the iconic Camp Nou stadium.

Everything suggests the Catalans could return to the renovated Spotify Camp Nou in early November, with the club hoping to play their first game in the iconic stadium against Athletic Club on November 22.

City Council conducts fresh assessment

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Barcelona City Council conducted its routine visits on Wednesday and Thursday to assess the progress of the work, focusing on the main stand.

With Phase 1A of the renovation now complete, the Main Stand and South Goal sections are officially open, giving the stadium a First Occupancy License for approximately 27,000 people.

The next and crucial step is the approval of Phase 1B. This phase, which was approved on October 17th, would allow for the opening of the Lateral Stand, significantly increasing the stadium’s capacity to 45,000.

Camp Nou return only a matter of time now. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The club remain confident that Phase 1B will be completed within days after the opening of Phase 1A.

Before any official match takes place, the club plans to hold a test run. It was reported earlier that an open training session for the first team is scheduled for November 7.

This session, held just two days before the team’s visit to Balaidos, will serve as the first event for fans in the new stadium and will be a crucial test of the 27,000-capacity infrastructure.

For now, though, Barcelona will host Elche this Sunday at the Montjuic. The subsequent home match will be the pivotal game against Athletic Club.

Tickets for that match are not yet on sale, with the hope that Barcelona will finally be able to make their official debut at the newly renovated Camp Nou.