The possible alternative venues that Barça would be evaluating to host the Clásico in May

The FC Barcelona apparently plans to return to the Spotify Camp Nou by May 2025. This is not speculation, as with the official announcement of the extension of the season pass for the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys until April 23, 2025, it is clear that all commitments faced by the Barcelona team at home after that date will likely take place in the historic home of the culé.

One of the matches to be played would be the Clásico of matchday 35 against Real Madrid (11/05), a duel that, if nothing changes along the way, will be a very special clash for the reopening of the Spotify Camp Nou. However, recent unexpected information has emerged stating that FC Barcelona, despite being confident in having their home in Les Corts operational for the match against Real Madrid, would be evaluating a 'Plan B' in case, for some reason, they could not play in the well-known blue and claret home.

Given the impossibility of returning to Montjuïc after the previously established date (23/04), due to the fact that the City Council of Barcelona has several events scheduled to take place starting in May, if the option to return to the Camp Nou becomes complicated, the Barça would already have various venues on their agenda both nationally and internationally to face this grand match. This last scenario presents greater complexity to carry out.

It should be noted that for a LaLiga match to take place outside Spanish borders, approval would be required from both the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga.

Montilivi, a real option to host a Barça-Madrid?

With this in mind, possible options begin to emerge to host this match, each with its pros and cons. According to the media outlet 'SPORT', one of the options considered due to its logistical proximity would be the Estadio de Girona.

However, Montilivi, while it could be a good alternative due to its geographical proximity, presents various complexities that complicate its candidacy. For example, on the date scheduled for the match against Real Madrid, May 11, Girona has a home commitment (against Villarreal CF).

In addition to that, this decision is also influenced by an economic reason, as the Girona stadium has a very limited capacity, with only 14,624 spectators, perhaps insufficient for a match of the magnitude of a Barcelona-Real Madrid. This could also lead to economic losses in terms of ticket sales, sales at food and beverage stands, and 'merchandising'.

RCDE Stadium and Santiago Bernabéu: Attractive but complicated alternatives

In that sense, considering the proximity in Catalunya, the option of holding the match at Espanyol's stadium, RCDE Stadium, could also have been evaluated. However, for obvious reasons, as this institution is one of Barcelona's major sports rivals, this alternative is not very viable. Likewise, the Santiago Bernabéu is also ruled out, as it would give the merengues a 'home advantage', which would be inconvenient.

France, a scenario that is not ruled out

In addition to analyzing various options in Spain, it would not be surprising to consider that the Clásico could be moved outside the nation. In fact, according to the previously mentioned source, it is suggested that the match could be moved to France, and several stadiums have been mentioned as possible candidates, such as the home of Olympique de Lyon (Groupama Stadium), the one of Olympique de Marseille (Stade Vélodrome) or the home of Saint-Étienne (Geoffroy-Guichard). Stadiums with good capacity and reasonable distance.

However, it is important to keep in mind that this would involve evaluating issues such as the transportation of fans to the stadium, as well as the members who already have season tickets for the match. Additionally, it would be necessary to negotiate with both the involved team and the French Football Federation (FFF).

What if the Clásico is taken to the United States or Saudi Arabia?

Moreover, it is evident that there are alternatives that could lean more towards the economic side, such as moving the Clásico to Miami or Saudi Arabia, but this could deprive a large part of Spanish fans of the excitement of witnessing one of the best matches of the year live, which would mean losing the emotional factor of having a stadium completely devoted to their team.