Barça has obtained authorization and will open the Camp Nou with only 27,000 seats.

The return of FC Barcelona 's men's first team to the new Camp Nou will be gradual, with three distinct phases and varying capacities, pending the future definitive opening of the third ring. The club and Barcelona City Council agreed to a modification of the Works and Activities license to be able to gradually give the green light to the new stadium as the construction is completed.

Barcelona City Council, according to Ep, has notified FC Barcelona of the authorization to modify phase 1 of the Works and Activities license for Spotify Camp Nou , a stadium that is still undergoing complete renovations and whose reopening date is yet to be confirmed.

However, with this new agreement with the City Council, confirmed to the media this Wednesday by Barcelona's Fourth Deputy Mayor, Jordi Valls, the new license now contemplates the gradual opening of the stadium in phases. As the work progresses, the City Council will gradually issue the First Occupancy License—essential for opening—in order to be able to return to the new Barça home.

Within the first phase, which includes the first and second tiers, there will be three stages with different capacities. Thus, in phase 1a, the Main Stand and part of the South Goal will be opened to accommodate 27,000 spectators. In phase 1b, the entire South Goal and the Side Stand (in front of the Grandstand) will be added, reaching a capacity of 45,000. And, in phase 1c, the North Goal will be added, reaching a capacity of 60,000 spectators.

Later, in Phase 2, the third tier would be opened to fill the Spotify Camp Nou's full capacity of almost 105,000 spectators. However, there are still no specific dates for this partial deployment of the first phase; only the mutual willingness of the club and the City Council to issue licenses for partial openings.

Because before each phase can open, it will be necessary to pass the Partial Initial Inspection (ECA) and obtain the Partial First Occupancy License from the Les Corts District and the City Council, as the different areas of the project are completed and certified. Furthermore, the district has renewed the current construction license for Camp Nou until September 12th under the same conditions as the current one.

The City Council had previously approved the Activities and Works License , a first step that will allow the stadium to host football matches. On July 10, First Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Urban Planning, Laia Bonet, explained that the modification of the initial license included two phases: the first for 62,000 spectators and a second to reach 105,000 when the stadium is fully completed. Now, this license has been modified to facilitate a faster reopening with reduced capacity.

According to club sources, the documentation for the future First Occupancy License has already been sent to the city council, which must send technicians to assess the state of the works on-site and prepare a favorable report before granting the permit, which will be issued progressively depending on the capacity enabled in each phase.

FC Barcelona intended the Joan Gamper Trophy, scheduled for August 10, to be the first match at the new stadium, but it will ultimately be played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff against Como, with former players such as Cesc Fàbregas, the Italian club's coach, and Sergi Roberto in the squad.

Thus, the Spotify Camp Nou's possible debut could be the first home game of the new La Liga season, against Valencia CF on the weekend of September 13 and 14, with 27,000 spectators in the first phase of the La Liga season. Furthermore, the club must confirm to UEFA which stadium it will play in the La Liga phase, as the venue cannot be changed, and it is unknown whether the Spotify Camp Nou will have a definitive license before the continental playoffs begin.