Barcelona finally returns home as Camp Nou reopens after two years vs. Athletic Club this weekend: Has Lamine Yamal already played there?

Barcelona ends its two-year hiatus this weekend, stepping back into the Camp Nou for the first time since 2023 — a night loaded with symbolism, tension, and expectation

Barcelona ends its two-year hiatus this weekend, stepping back into the Camp Nou for the first time since 2023 — a night loaded with symbolism, tension, and expectation. Lamine Yamal, whose rapid rise has reshaped the club’s future, stands at the center of that anticipation. But one question lingers over the homecoming, one the club has deliberately allowed to hang in the air: Has Lamine Yamal played at Camp Nou before?

What’s certain is that Barcelona will officially reopen the stadium on Saturday, November 22, ending a 915-day wait. What remains hidden — at least in the opening notes of this story — is how this moment connects to Yamal’s past. That answer, and the significance behind it, arrives later.

The club confirmed its return on social media after receiving final approval for Phase 1B of the reconstruction, granting access to expanded areas of the remodeled venue. “FC Barcelona informs that the match corresponding to matchday 13 of the League, against Athletic Club, scheduled for Saturday, November 22 at 16:15 hours, will finally be played at Spotify Camp Nou,” the official statement read.

Capacity is now set at 45,401 spectators, a level far higher than the earlier 25,000-seat limit that kept the club at Montjuic. The authorization covers the full Lateral area, joining the Tribune and South Goal seating previously approved under Phase 1A. “This authorization includes the entire Lateral area and adds to the license already granted for Phase 1A, which covers the Tribune and South Goal,” the club specified.

The Blaugrana had delayed its return despite receiving preliminary permission in October, citing financial and logistical reasons. Now the arena is ready: expanded seating, 129 spaces for fans with reduced mobility, new comfort zones, a fully modernized tunnel, refurbished dressing rooms, and upgraded operational departments.

Has Lamine Yamal previously played at Camp Nou?

At 18 years old, Lamine Yamal has become one of world soccer’s most electrifying young players — and this homecoming carries a deeply personal meaning for him. In recent days, he teased his anticipation with a photo of the renovated stadium and the caption: “Special nights are coming.” Shortly after, he updated his Instagram profile picture and added the declaration: “Montjuic was the beginning. The Camp Nou is where history will be written.”

In fact, Lamine Yamal has played at Camp Nou only once. It came on April 29, 2023, when he made his first-team debut at just 15, coming on for the final minutes of a 4-0 win over Real Betis. A symbolic moment — but just a prologue. More than two years later, he returns not as a hopeful academy kid but as a two-time La Liga champion, Barcelona’s No.10, and the face of a new generation.

Unlike Yamal, at least nine Blaugrana players will be making their stadium debut, according to Mundo Deportivo. The list includes: Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joan Garcia, Marc Bernal, Roony Bardghji, and Dro Fernandez.

The return is more than operational. Barcelona last played a competitive match at Camp Nou on May 28, 2023, a 3-0 win over Mallorca. What followed were two full seasons of displacement: Montjuic for most fixtures, and the Johan Cruyff Stadium at the start of this campaign.