Barcelona will meet reigning champions PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Barcelona has requested special permission from UEFA to break a Champions League rule ahead of their match against PSG.
Barcelona will face reigning champions PSG on Wednesday in one of the league’s most anticipated games.
Both clubs started their European campaigns with wins, with Barcelona defeating Newcastle 2-1 away from home thanks to a brace from Marcus Rashford, and PSG thrashing Atalanta 4-0 in Paris.
Due to ongoing renovations at the Nou Camp, Tuesday’s match will be played at Montjuïc instead.
The La Liga champions had anticipated to host Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp on Sunday with a reduced capacity of 27,000, as the stadium’s entire reconstruction is not expected until 2027.
However, the event took place at the 55,000-seater Olympic Stadium on Montjuïc hill after Barcelona’s city government denied the club’s request for an important permission.
As a result, the match against PSG will also take place at Montjuïc, perhaps causing a dilemma for the Catalan club in Europe.
According to UEFA rules, a team cannot play Champions League league phase home games in more than one site, which could rule out a return to the Nou Camp this year.
According to Article 25 of the UEFA regulations, a club must play all of its competitive matches at the same stadium beginning with the league phase. Furthermore, any stadium change between the play-offs and the league stages must be approved in advance by UEFA.”
According to Spanish daily Marca, Barcelona has requested special permission from UEFA to circumvent this regulation, with the club aiming to return to the Nou Camp after the forthcoming international break, which begins on Monday.
After facing PSG, Barcelona’s next Champions League match is against Greek side Olympiacos on October 21.
Three days earlier, Barcelona faced local rivals Girona in La Liga, and while no official venue has been announced, the municipal council has expressed confidence that the match will be played at the Nou Camp.
Albert Batlle, Barcelona’s Deputy Mayor for Security, stated, “We are hopeful that the necessary adjustments will be made and that, from a security standpoint, the go-ahead can be given to partially reopen Camp Nou.”
“I think the minor issues that existed can be resolved.”
Work on the Nou Camp began in June 2023, at a cost of approximately £1.1 billion.
The stadium’s total capacity will be extended to 105,000, making it one of the world’s largest venues and by far the largest in Europe.
The original goal was to resume playing games there in November 2024, coinciding with the club’s 125th anniversary.
However, due to repeated delays, the target date was missed, and the final renovation is not expected to be completed until the summer of 2027.
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