Barca return to refurbished stadium for open training in front of 23,000 fans

Barcelona staged an open training session at their new-look Nou Camp on Friday in front of 23,000 supporters as they edged closer to returning to the stadium.

Barca have not played at their iconic ground since 2023 due to a £1.25bn refurbishment, with home matches taking place at the Olympic Stadium in the city.

Friday's training session ahead of Sunday's LaLiga match against Celta Viga served as a test event before the club return for matches later this month.

It was head coach Hansi Flick's first experience at Nou Camp and for Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford as a Barcelona player.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said the plan is to be back for either the LaLiga fixture against Athletic Club on November 22 or a week later when Flick's side host Alaves, coinciding with the club's 126th anniversary. The club then welcomes Atletico Madrid in the league on December 2.

The club is waiting for two licences which are anticipated to be permitted before the end of the year. The first will allow them to hold 45,000 spectators, with the second making the stadium fully operational.

Barcelona currently have a licence for the stadium to hold 25,991 people, which was granted in October, but will wait until they can welcome more fans before returning officially.

Work remains ongoing on the ground with the third tier and the roof still to be added. The first two tiers are nearing completion and the current estimate is that the stadium will be finished in 2027, as the capacity increases until reaching 105,000.

Barcelona had hoped to return by the end of 2024 and then targeted early 2025 before pushing back the date to the beginning of this season.

They had to play their first two games of the season at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff because the Olympic Stadium was not available or ready to stage matches. The club has played their last five home games there.