Why Barcelona can only add 6,000 seats to new Camp Nou this season as major issue explained

Barcelona will only be able to increase the capacity of the newly renovated Camp Nou by around 6,000 seats this season.

Licensing issues have prevented the club from opening the stadium's third tier, meaning supporters will have to wait even longer for the full return.

Camp Nou will only increase by 6,000 seats during 2026-27 season

Barcelona's current Camp Nou capacity stands at 62,652, but that will rise to just over 68,000 when two VIP tiers are opened during the second half of the season.

The major issue is the third tier, which will remain closed until next season.

Barcelona could have installed seats there for a small number of matches, but would then have needed to remove them again to allow work on the stadium roof to continue.

The club has therefore decided that the work would not be worthwhile, while the city authorities have also rejected plans for the third tier to be opened in phases.

That means Barcelona will continue playing in a partially completed stadium, with the reduced capacity also limiting the club's potential matchday income.

The full return is expected during the early months of the 2027-28 season, when the roof should be installed, and the stadium can finally move towards its planned 105,000 capacity.

FGG says: Barcelona must now focus on completing Camp Nou

Another delay will undoubtedly frustrate Barcelona supporters, particularly given how long the redevelopment has already taken. However, installing seats that would then need to be removed for the roof work makes little sense.

The priority now has to be getting the entire project finished properly and allowing Barcelona to return to a 105,000-capacity Camp Nou as soon as possible.

The extra 6,000 seats will provide some welcome additional revenue this season, but the real financial boost will only come once the stadium is fully operational.