According to Catalunya Radio, UEFA has informally agreed to Barcelona 's proposal to start the Champions League with an away match.

As such, the team led by Hansi Flick will only play home matches from September 30 to October 1, giving the club about two more weeks to inaugurate the new Spotify Camp Nou stadium.

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UEFA gives preferential treatment to Barca before Champions League draw. Photo: EFE

The first round of matches of the 2025/26 Champions League group stage will take place over 3 days, September 16-18.

On Thursday (August 21), UEFA also inspected the construction progress of Camp Nou stadium.

European football's governing body, chaired by Aleksander Ceferin, has a rule that all group stage matches must be played at the same stadium.

This means Barca will play all four home matches in the group stage at Camp Nou or Montjuic.

After the 2024/25 season ends, Barca will end their lease on Montjuic – which sells around 30,000 to 40,000 fewer tickets per match than Camp Nou.

Barca do not want to rent Montjuic again when the renovation of their "holy land" is about to be completed.

Therefore, having a few more days to complete the procedure to request a temporary use permit for the new Camp Nou from the Barcelona City Council is of particular importance.

On August 28, Joan Laporta's leadership team will have to officially inform UEFA of the venues for Champions League home matches (which is also the day of the group stage draw).

In La Liga, Barca also faced a similar situation, when the first 3 rounds were all played away.

The first home game of the season is scheduled for the weekend of September 14, but it is still unclear whether it can be held at Camp Nou.

Meanwhile, Albert Batlle – deputy mayor of the city – said it is very likely that Barca will have to stay in Montjuic for a few more months.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/uefa-uu-ai-barca-o-champions-league-2434668.html