Rashford to play first home match for Barcelona at mini-stadium
Rashford to play first home match for Barcelona at mini-stadium
Barcelona winger Marcus Rashford may make his first home appearance of the season in a much smaller venue than expected.
The club had planned to begin their title defence at the newly renovated Nou Camp, but construction delays have forced them to switch their opening home fixture to the Johan Cruyff Stadium, which has a capacity of just 6,000.
The Nou Camp was initially scheduled to reopen in November 2024 to coincide with the club’s 125th anniversary, but the works are still incomplete. To allow more time for renovations, Barcelona had already scheduled their first three matches of the season away from home.
However, despite the added buffer, the club has not yet received the necessary safety and occupancy permits to reopen the stadium to fans.
According to BBC Sports on Sunday, the Olympic Stadium, used as their substitute home ground for the past two seasons, is the venue for a Post Malone concert two days before the match, ruling it out of use for Sunday.
Barcelona last played at the Nou Camp in May 2023 – a stadium which could hold up to 100,000 people.
Since 2023, Barcelona’s iconic Nou Camp, officially called Spotify Camp Nou, has been undergoing a major renovation as part of the club’s long-term Espai Barça project.
The redevelopment is designed to modernize the stadium, boost sustainability, upgrade fan experience, and expand its seating capacity to over 100,000 once completed.
