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Barcelona to play at Nou Camp after more than two years away

General view of the stadium with Barcelona players during an open training session at the Nou CampGetty Images

Barcelona will return to their iconic Nou Camp home after more than two years when they face Athletic Club in La Liga this weekend.

The stadium will reopen after a partial renovation with a reduced capacity of 45,401 for the match on Saturday, 22 November (15:15 GMT).

Barca last played an official game at the Nou Camp on 28 May, 2023 against Real Mallorca before the venue was closed for renovations.

Work began in June 2023 at a cost of about £1.1bn, with the goal of modernising the stadium and expanding its capacity to 105,000 - making it one of the largest grounds in the world.

The initial plan was to be back playing games at the stadium in November 2024, to coincide with Barca's 125th anniversary, but the Catalan club have since faced a series of delays.

They have mostly played at the 55,000-seater Olympic Stadium on the city's Montjuic hill during the renovation work.

The reigning Spanish champions also played two matches at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium, home to their women's team, this season after failing to get a permit they needed for the Nou Camp because of safety reasons.

"Barcelona celebrates being able to compete again at its stadium and continue advancing in the comprehensive transformation project of the new Camp Nou," the club said.

They added that they are liaising with Uefa to also hold next week's Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the revamped venue, though official confirmation is pending.

The Nou Camp has served as Barcelona's home ground since it opened in 1957 and previously had a capacity of 99,000.