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Barcelona supporters have been left frustrated after ticket prices for this month's El Clasico against Real Madrid were confirmed well above what many were expecting. This has brought renewed criticism of president Joan Laporta over a promise he made to fans earlier this year.
The issue comes at a difficult time for the club, with Barcelona already facing questions over what season-ticket prices will look like once the Camp Nou redevelopment is fully complete.
Now, with one of the biggest games of the season approaching, attention has turned to the cost of getting through the turnstiles rather than what is happening on the pitch.
/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.footballgroundguide.com%2Fmain%2F2025%2F11%2Fimago1069758960-scaled-e1764542568130.jpg "Barcelona, Real Madrid fans hit with major El Clasico ticket price rise as Joan Laporta 'breaks promise' 1")
Joan Laporta's discount promise to Barcelona members
Back in March, during a presidential election debate against rival candidate Victor Font, Laporta was challenged over the rising cost of matchdays for supporters without season tickets. Font pointed to the example of a family of four having to pay €636 just to attend a league game against Sevilla, putting the issue directly to Laporta.
According to Barca Universal, Laporta responded by promising a change, telling voters, “what we will do is give a 50% discount to non-season ticket holders,” while arguing that the club had recovered financially and was entering a phase of consolidation.
El Clasico ticket prices soar and leave fans frustrated
That promised discount is nowhere to be seen for this month's Clasico, with standard ticket prices for the game at Camp Nou reportedly starting at €476 and rising to around €1,000. This represents an increase of around 50% compared to the corresponding fixture in May, when the cheapest tickets were closer to €300.
One supporter highlighted the rise on social media, pointing out that a seat in the upper corner had gone from €499 in May to €649 for this match, an increase of roughly 30% in just five months.
The promised discount is not expected to apply until the Camp Nou redevelopment is fully complete, which is not due to finish before the 2028/29 season, according to reports. That timeframe was not included in the comments reported from Laporta's original promise.
FGG says: A promise that has not aged well
Higher ticket prices are nothing new in modern football, but promising a specific discount during an election campaign and then putting it on hold is always going to be difficult for supporters to accept.
With Camp Nou still unfinished and ticket prices rising in the meantime, Barcelona risk testing the patience of fans who were told earlier this year that attending matches would become more affordable.