Barcelona’s famous stadium, Camp Nou, has been undergoing renovation since June 2023.
There have been complications in recent months, meaning Barcelona’s return to their sacred home – ranked at no.7 in FourFourTwo's list of the best stadiums in the world – has been delayed on multiple occasions. Camp Nou opened in 1957, with the stadium capacity being a huge 93,053 when it was first built.
This was increased to nearly 120,000 for the 1982 World Cup, but regulations ensured the capacity had to be reduced to just under 99,000 following the tournament. Here, FourFourTwo looks at the stadium’s delays, capacity, cost and more.
When will Camp Nou reopen?
The club recently confirmed that the return to Camp Nou will be delayed, meaning Barcelona will not play home games at the renovated ground until May 2025 at the earliest.
This delay comes after initial plans to return to the stadium in time for the club’s 125th anniversary on November 29 2024. However, a month prior to this anniversary, the club stated that the Camp Nou would not be ready by then, with the re-opening being pushed back further and further.
What will Camp Nou's new capacity be and how much will it cost?
The work, which began in June 2023, is designed to increase the capacity of the stadium to 105,000. The Camp Nou would become the largest football stadium in Europe, and the third largest in the world. Only Michigan Stadium and Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, in North Korea, would be larger.
The renovation is part of a wider project called Espai Barca. This involves transforming all of Barcelona’s facilities, and will cost around €1.5billion. The club has called it “a project that unites sport and architecture, and which will be a space to be shared by members and for welcoming visitors 365 days of the year”.
What will be new at the stadium and where have Barcelona played this season?
Among the rumoured improvements, include a brand-new third tier, a VIP ring between the second and third tiers of the stands, and a new roof covering all seats within the stadium. There will also be solar panels that are rumoured to be used to power a 360-degree screen which will run around the interior of the stadium.
Since the refurbishment began Barcelona have been playing their home games at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, which has a capacity of 55,926. Barcelona had an initial contract with the city council that stated they could play at the Olimpic Stadium until March 31st 2025, but they have since extended this to the end of April.
Feliz Cumpleaños, Spotify Camp Nou! 🎂🏟️Lleno de historia,Lleno de futuro pic.twitter.com/ZFqUgIDxSCSeptember 24, 2024
Barcelona are in a rich vein of form, finishing second in the Champions League group stage, and battling hard in the La Liga title race. Yet, attendance has been low in games this season, with the club only filling two-thirds of the season-ticket seats available in the Olimpic stadium. The club will therefore be desperate to get all their fans back in what could be a successful few years for the Catalans.
