Barcelona contemplate relocating El Clasico vs Real Madrid to a major European stadium | OneFootball

Barcelona’s renovation works at their stadium, Spotify Camp Nou, are still ongoing, leading to their return to the ground being delayed.

The initial plan was for them to be back at the iconic stadium by the end of 2024 or early 2025, but that has not happened, even forcing them to extend their lease of the Montjuic Stadium until April this year.

The idea is that Camp Nou will be ready for the final phase of the season in May, just in time for the second La Liga El Clasico of the season against Real Madrid, which is scheduled for 11th May.

Plan B

However, now, according to Adria Soldevila on Cadena SER, Barcelona have devised a backup plan in case the renovation work at Camp Nou is not completed on time and the Montjuic Stadium becomes unavailable.

This plan involves securing a large-capacity stadium in another country in Europe. The Catalans are looking for a major European stadium that meets the requirements for such a high-profile fixture as Barça vs. Madrid.

Camp Nou is still not ready. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Spotify Camp Nou remains the primary and preferred option for the Clasico, or alternatively, to try to keep the game at Montjuic. But the second option is tricky due to concerts planned at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in May.

The club’s primary objective is to play the match at Camp Nou and reopen it with 60% of its capacity, particularly as such a fixture generates between €8-10 million in revenue.

However, the alternative is to relocate the match to an attractive city and stadium for Barcelona’s supporters. In this scenario, the game would be treated like a final, with a massive travelling contingent of Blaugrana fans.

At this time, Barcelona have not yet presented this proposal to La Liga or Real Madrid. This is mainly because no decision has been made or advanced in this regard.

For now, the Blaugrana are focused on working towards playing the match at Camp Nou but are preparing a contingency plan in case things do not proceed as initially hoped.

If Barcelona chooses to move the match abroad, both La Liga and the Royal Spanish Football Federation will need to approve the decision.