Camp Nou renovation: Stadium upgrades, time frame and where Barcelona will play during redevelopment

Joshua Thomas

Camp Nou renovation: Stadium upgrades, time frame and where Barcelona will play during redevelopment image

Barcelona's redevelopment of Camp Nou has been given the green light by the local council with work to begin in June 2022.

The La Liga giants themselves opted to move ahead with a maximum €1.5 billion ($1.6b) funding package to update Camp Nou at the end of 2021 after first holding talks back in 2014. 

The stadium was first used in 1957 and last renovated in 1989 with a refurbishment seen as long overdue. 

What upgrades is Camp Nou getting? 

For fans, one of the most notable changes will be an increased attendance capacity. 

Camp Nou currently consists of 99,354 seats but will be transformed into a 105,000-seat stadium once renovations are complete. 

The current third-tier of the stadium is set to be demolished and reconstructed which will likely see those extra seats added. 

A retractable roof covered in 30,000 square metres of solar panels will also be added with the energy generated set to power a 360-degree screen placed within the stadium. 

Another environmental-focused shift will see rainwater collected and recycled on-site. 

Camp Nou security will get an overhaul too, while just outside the stadium a hotel, office complexes, an ice rink and basketball arena will also be constructed. 

Camp Nou
Getty

How long will Camp Nou's redevelopment take?

Camp Nou's upgrades are expected to take around four years to be completed. 

While work will begin in June, any major redevelopments won't begin until after the 2022-23 season. 

"Demolition any earlier would have meant having to play the 2022-23 season with just 50 per cent of capacity," Barcelona president Joan Laporta said.

"Out of prudence and to minimise risks and protect next season's income, we will maintain a capacity of practically 100 per cent and proceed to demolish the third tier."

The renovated Camp Nou is expected to be finalised sometime during the 2025-26 season. 

Where will Barcelona play during Camp Nou's redevelopment?

With Camp Nou's upgrades set to take years to complete, Barcelona will need to temporarily relocate. 

While they will play the 2022-23 season with a full Camp Nou, the 2023-24 campaign with see the Catalans call the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic home. 

The venue, commercially known as Luis Companys Stadium, was previously Espanyol's home ground for a decade, while Lionel Messi also made his competitive Barca debut there. 

The Olympic Stadium is just over four kilometres away from Camp Nou, meaning only a minor change to travel plans for fans. 

After one season away from Camp Nou, Barcelona will return for the 2024-25 season but capacity is expected to be capped at 50 per cent before it opens back up in full during the following campaign. 

Barcelona Femeni at Camp Nou set women's record attendance
Getty Images

Why is it called Camp Nou and is the name changing? 

When opened in 1957, the venue was given the offical name of Estadi del FC Barcelona.

Fans, however, quickly preferred Camp Nou, which translates in English to 'new ground/field'. 

In Catalan, adjectives like 'new' can go either before or after the noun, which is why Nou Camp and Camp Nou are both seen as acceptable names. 

The name was officially changed during the 2000-01 season when club members voted in favour of Camp Nou replacing its original name. 

With Barcelona in considerable debt and needing to fund their stadium redevelopment plans, they struck a deal with Spotify in March 2022 that will see the venue rebranded to Spotify Camp Nou. 

The partnership is reportedly worth €295 million ($310m) and will also see Spotify branding on team shirts from the 2022-23 season onwards.  

Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas Photo

Josh has been covering sport for nearly a decade now having fallen in love with football at a young age. A UTS graduate, Josh has previously worked for GOAL and now covers football closely for The Sporting News.