Barcelona fans may not have too long to wait to see their team playing at Camp Nou again
(Image credit: Peter Byrne)
Barcelona have been away from Camp Nou since the start of the 2023-24 season and fans are eagerly awaiting a return to the famous stadium. A difficult period in the club’s recent history has coincided with a temporary move to the city’s Olympic Stadium, which understandably lacks the atmosphere and aura of the iconic Camp Nou.
But a return home is getting closer, which will be music to the ears of the Barcelona faithful and to those who still have a trip to one of football’s greatest stadiums on their bucket list.
There is still work to be done, though, in one of the most ambitious stadium expansions football has ever seen. Real Madrid, of course, recently renovated their Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and Barcelona are clearly looking to one up their rivals.
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When will Barcelona move back to Camp Nou?
Barcelona are heading back to Camp Nou earlier than expected (Image credit: PA)
Barcelona are believed to be hopeful of a return to Camp Nou as soon as December 2024, sooner than originally planned. The expectation was that the stadium would be ready for the 2025/26 season.
But it could now be opened with a 60 pcent capacity (around 60,000) fans midway through the 2024/25 campaign. Work would still be carried out on the unfinished areas of the stadium and the VIP boxes, with a final capacity of 105,000 upon completion.
Barcelona have home La Liga fixtures against Leganes and Atletico Madrid in December and either game could be chosen for the grand unveiling of the new and improved Camp Nou.
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While football will be played at Camp Nou again relatively soon, the stadium will not be entirely finished for some time, with an expected completion date of August 2026.
Computer-generated images have been released on Barcelona’s website that show the scale of the stadium’s development. It is noticeably larger, of course, and has a more modern aesthetic, with an impressive dome-shaped roof.
The Barcelona badge and Spotify logo are also built into the seats, while several huge screens above the top tier will ensure no one misses any of the action. Over 1,200 workers have been employed to renovate Camp Nou, and the total cost of the project is estimated at €1.5 billion.
Callum is a football writer who has had work published by the likes of BBC Sport, the Independent, BT Sport and the Blizzard, amongst various others. A lifelong Wrexham fan, he is hoping Ryan Reynolds can lead his hometown club to the promised land.
