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Barcelona stadium renovation: Latest news of Spotify Camp Nou in July 2024

Written by Okello Steve
Last Update: July 4, 2024
Published on

The famous Spotify Camp Nou stadium, which is the home of FC Barcelona, is currently unrecognisable due to the ongoing renovation. But what is the latest news regarding the Barcelona stadium renovation? And when will the popular home stadium to the La Liga giants re-open?

We provide you with detailed coverage of the ongoing at Nou Camp ahead of the 2024/25 La Liga season, so read on for details.

Camp Nou History

Having opened in 1957 to replace the former stadium of FC Barcelona, Les Courts. The official capacity when first built was 93,053, but that was increased to 120,000 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, due to new regulations outlawing standing areas, the capacity was reduced to just under 99,000.

Camp Nou hosted the first European Cup Winner's final in 1972. Over the years, Nou Camp has become one of the most feared soccer stadiums, especially by opponents. A trip to Camp Nou is always likely to end in defeat for opponents. Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu has become the only venue that closely rivals Camp Nou, but that latter's current capacity of 105,000 is one of the biggest in Europe.

The ongoing renovation works at Cam Nou were hatched in 2014 and were set to start in 2017. In the plan, the club intends to increase the capacity by redeveloping areas such as completely rebuilding the first tier, adding a roof to all seats and the top tier will also be extended.

Why is the Barcelona stadium renovation taking place?

The initial intention for the current renovation was to make Camp Nou the third largest stadium in the world behind the Narendra Modi Stadium in India which has a capacity of 132,000 and the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, which can seat 114,000 spectators. Due to the dire financial situation at the club, some of the plans for the renovation were scrapped to keep to a budget of $900m.

What will the stadium look like once the Camp Nou renovation is completed?

The renovated Camp Nou will have a retractable roof with solar panels that will “be used to power the new 360-degree screen that will run around the entire interior of the stadium.”

The stadium's exterior will also have a new look, with office complexes being built and various entertainment spaces.

The work officially began in early July 2022, but the stand's demolition behind the south gate did not start until September 1, 2022. The early work included removing elements from the rear of the stand and dismantling the central section of the top floor of the auditorium.

Those works were to be followed by the construction of new stairs and escape routes to restore the use of the seats not included in the remodelling on the first and second floors.

Barceloan stadium renovation
Photo by Icon Sport

Work began with the removal of the scoreboard and the removal of just under 4,000 seats, most of which were occupied by season pass holders who were offered a move to a similar area elsewhere in the stadium or were offered a temporary deferral of payment.

The 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup gave the renovation a boost due to there being no games played at Camp Nou.

This allowed for the dismantling of the reinforced concrete elements of the stand with the entire work being completed by the end of 2022 coming to a cost of $4.6 million. Erri Berri was the company contracted for this part of the renovation.

However, the work on the south stand was only a prelude to the start of the stadium renovation. The work started in full after the conclusion of Barcelona’s title-winning La Liga season.

Where is Barcelona playing while the Camp Nou undergoes renovation?

In early 2023, it was announced that the Turkish construction company, Limak, had won the contract to become the main contractor.

Due to the renovation, Barcelona will temporarily move to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys which is located about 4 kilometres south-east of Camp Nou for the duration of the 2023/24 season. Due to the capacity of the Olympic Stadium being just 56,000, a significant number of Barcelona fans will have to cancel their season tickets.

FC Barcelona can return home in the 2024/25 season, but the capacity will have to be halved with the full renovation expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

Camp Nou renovation – July 2023

In a video captured by Mundo Deportivo, a large majority of the seats appear to have already been moved and the process of demolishing the concrete beams has begun.

March 2024

FC Barcelona presented redevelopment plans for the Spotify Camp Nou to the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC) at an organised event on Monday, March 4.

Espai Barça is the name for the overall revamp of FC Barcelona’s sporting infrastructure, which includes the renovation of the club’s training and commercial facilities.

The meeting involved key members of Espai Barça explaining the importance of the project to the club's financial future in the coming decades, as well as detailing the sustainability of the renovation, which includes reusing concrete and steel from the old facility to be used in the construction of the new stadium.

The planned return date to Spotify Camp Nou is the final few months of 2024.

July 2024: Latest update from Camp Nou

As of May 2024, construction works were ongoing at the Nou Camp. Light Beams are already installed at the iconic stadium and the mosaic formation that comprises FC Barcelona colours is visible from nearby flats. This aims to bring the venue to life once FC Barcelona returns home to the more than 100,000-capacity venue.

Moreover, hospitality packages for the new-look Camp Nou have been announced and well-received by the public. There are 90 lodges and 20 VIP suits at the new Camp Nou, most already booked. Per-person pricing for the hospitality packages ranges from  $49,000 to  $94,000. These packages could run up to ten years, and this is expected to generate up to  $130 million in yearly revenues for FC Barcelona.

Is Camp Nou ready to host 2024/25 La Liga matches?

The original plan in the renovation works was that the stadium would be ready to host Barcelona's home matches in the 2024/25 La Liga season. But despite the tremendous progress made so far, FC Barcelona fans are getting jittery about the prospects of returning home in the new season.

With little communication coming from the club regarding a return to Spotify Camp Nou, reports in Spain indicate that the club is looking to negotiate for more away matches in the upcoming season to allow the renovation works to continue. For most fans, it seems the timeline for the rebuild was underestimated.

It is also reported that Barcelona have informed UEFA that they will host matches in two venues next season. Camp Nou was originally slated to be reopened on 29 November 2024 to celebrate the club's anniversary but that has since been changed to December 15. At least 60% of the renovation work is expected to be complete by mid-next season, so even we don't expect a full stadium booking before early 2025.

FAQs about Camp Nou renovation

How long will the renovation work at Cam Nou finish?

The current renovation of the Nou Camp is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Where is Barcelona currently playing their matches before going back to Camp Nou?

Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys is the current Barcelona home-ground

Who are the leading architects in the renovation work at Camp Nou?

Barcelona Studio Pasual o AusioArquitectes and Nikken Sekkei are the main architecture firms in the Camp Nou renovation process.

What is the current capacity of Camp Nou?

There are 105, 000 seats at the Nou Camp