Barcelona's Camp Nou to return to full capacity

Barcelona will be able to play in front of capacity crowds at Camp Nou from Friday.

A general view of Camp Nou during the La Liga contest between Barcelona and Levante on September 26. Barcelona has not been able to play in front of a capacity crowd at Camp Nou since football was first shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic. - GETTY IMAGES

Barcelona will be able to play in front of capacity crowds from Friday, the regional government confirmed as it lifted restrictions that have limited fan numbers at the Camp Nou stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catalonia's regional president Pere Aragones said in a news conference on Tuesday that outdoor sporting venues will be able to be at 100 percent capacity, a move that Barcelona welcomed.

"Barcelona thanks everyone's efforts and applauds the Government's decision to apply a measure that practically allows us to return to normality," a club statement on  Twitter  read.

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Barcelona has not been able to play in front of a capacity crowd since football was first shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic. A crowd of up to 99,354 will be able to watch Ronald Koeman's Barca side host Valencia on Sunday with the Clasico against rival Real Madrid taking place at the Camp Nou on October 24.

Spain's central government lifted restrictions on outdoor sporting venues on October 1; however, Catalonia chose not to lift the allowed capacity above 60 percent before Tuesday's announcement.

The move also means that Barca's city rival and fellow La Liga outfit Espanyol, which beat Real Madrid 2-1 last time out, will also be able to sell out its 40,000 RCDE Stadium.