Laporta confirms timeline for complete reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou | OneFootball

In his final interview with club media as Barcelona president before resigning ahead of the upcoming elections, Joan Laporta discussed the renovation and redevelopment work at the Spotify Camp Nou in detail.

Having been away from the stadium for more than two years, Barça returned to Camp Nou in November 2025, with the stadium only partially opened.

Since the reopening, the capacity has been increased to 45,000+ fans, with the club targeting a further increase of up to 62,000 this month once they obtain the licence from the City Council corresponding to Phase 1C of the project.

Laporta on 1C licence

During the interview, Laporta admitted that the delay in obtaining the 1C licence had left him frustrated, as the ‘Gol Nord’ section of the stadium has been ready for some time now.

“It’s something that’s really upsetting me. It’s obvious that this part of the stadium is also finished, the North Stand. We’re told that the access needs improvement, and we’re working on it,” he said.

Continuing, he added: “The problem is that it was supposed to be ready by the first week of January; it’s February now, and we still haven’t received the permits for the North Stand and the Supporters’ Stand, the 1957 Stand.

“I’m disappointed because we should have them, but we’ve learned that things move slowly. I understand that everyone wants to do things perfectly, as well as possible. However, we’ll have them soon.”

Confirming the full co-operation of the City Council, ahead of the club’s plans to host the 2029 UEFA Champions League final at the Spotify Camp Nou, Laporta noted:

“We have the City Council committed, the mayor committed. There are milestones we want to achieve that require the pace of construction to be as fast as possible: not only the stadium, but also the surrounding area.

“If we want to host a Champions League final or the World Cup final, all of this will have to be finished. If the surrounding area isn’t finished, it will be difficult to get the permits.

“In the short term, there are the VIP boxes and the Third Tier. We are pushing for this because we believe it’s ready enough to be granted. Everyone tells us that the North Stand and the 1957 Stand are finished and we should have the 1C license.”

On stadium completion deadlines

Spotify Camp Nou to be fully ready in 2027. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Regarding the overall timeline, the president maintained 2027 as the reference year for seeing the stadium fully completed, with an important nuance.

“The stadium should be finished by 2027. Everything should be completed by the end of 2026, and then the roof will be added in 2027,” he said.

Laporta also revealed that the addition of the roof would need around 3-4 months of inactivity at the stadium, saying:

“It requires four months of inactivity in the stadium, and I think it can be finished by the end of 2027. But it’s not just the stadium: it’s the campus, the surrounding area, the modifications that need to be made… we have to start now.”

On whether there were plans to move back to the Montjuic Stadium during that phase, Laporta replied:

“We don’t plan to return to Montjuïc because it can be arranged in conjunction with the La Liga and Champions League schedules, if we qualify. I think it can be coordinated well.”

Stressing the importance of the fully operational Spotify Camp Nou for the club’s finances, he added:

“The economic return from Spotify Camp Nou will be enormous. It’s our most important avenue for revenue growth.

“There will be improvements in ticketing, hospitality, and commercial spaces that will generate income; sponsorship activations; more global events; and more personalized experiences, which will allow us to generate significantly more revenue.

“We want to be able to implement it as soon as possible. It will allow us to pay down our debt, invest in the sporting project to be competitive, and consolidate our economic recovery.”