Barcelona Nou Camp Renovation: Stadium Move, Expected Completion & Everything You Need To Know | OneFootball

Despite their crippling financial issues in recent years, Barcelona are determined to renovate the Nou Camp and The Athletic have stated that the revamp will be completed ahead of the 2026/27 season.

As a result, the famous ground, which has played host to a wide variety of iconic football matches, such as the 1999 UEFA Champions League final in which Manchester United produced one of the most thrilling comeback victories of all time, will not be in use in the upcoming 2023/24 season.

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Here is everything you need to know about the project, including which stadium the 26-time La Liga champions will temporarily play their home matches in next season.

Why are Barcelona moving stadiums?

First and foremost, the Nou Camp was originally built in 1957 and therefore is in desperate need of modernization, which in turn would improve the experience for every fan who attends.

However, there are also undeniable financial gains that will arise from the overhaul. As per The Athletic, just five per cent of the Nou Camp is currently classified as 'VIP', meaning the club generates far less income per matchday than many of its European competitors. A capacity increase to approximately 105,000 seats will also naturally lead to an increase in matchday profit too.

Where are Barcelona playing in the 2023/24 season?

This will be the first time since the stadium's construction in 1957 that the Nou Camp will not be Barcelona's home stadium, and the club have informed the City Council and UEFA that they will instead play their football at the Estadi Lluis Companys.

The ground was previously the home of Catalan rivals Espanyol, and is an iconic stadium in its own right, having been the centrepiece of the 1992 Summer Olympics.

The Estadi Lluis Companys has a capacity of just over 55,000 and will enable Barcelona to retain an intimidating atmosphere during home matches despite their stadium move. The club have also announced that they will provide travel options for fans to allow them to get to the ground as easily as possible.

Barcelona will play all of their home matches during the 2023/24 season at the stadium, with the ground also available for the women's team and training purposes if needed.

When will the Nou Camp be completed?

The club have finalised a €900 million (£782 million) deal with Turkish construction company Limak, who have agreed to complete the revamp by the summer of 2026. That means that if all goes according to plan, the Nou Camp will be fully operational in time for the 2026/27 campaign.

They will, however, be able to return to the stadium before that date, with the Nou Camp expected to operate at 50 per cent capacity during the 2024/25 season.

What will it look like once completed?

The renovated Nou Camp will be fitted with a retractable roof rife with solar panels, that, according to ESPN, will "be used to power the new 360-degree screen that will run around the entire interior of the stadium, as well as various security systems."

Outside the stadium, office complexes will be built, as well as entertainment spaces such as ice rinks. The club hopes this overhaul will drag the Nou Camp into the 21st century.

The board at Barcelona have also recently taken the incredibly controversial decision to rename their famous stadium to the Spotify Camp Nou to raise additional funds.

Have other teams moved stadiums temporarily before?

From a Premier League perspective, the most recent and notable example would be Tottenham Hotspur, when the North London club moved into the national English stadium of Wembley during the 2017/18 season whilst their extremely sleek new stadium was being built.

La Liga fans will also be aware that Barcelona rivals Real Madrid also had to move stadiums recently. Whilst renovations were underway at the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos resorted to temporarily playing their home matches at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium in Valdebebas - a ground currently used by Real Madrid Femenino and Real Madrid Castilla.

The development plans at this stage suggest the new capacity of the Nou Camp will be approximately 105,000 - meaning the already largest stadium in Europe is going to become even larger.

The new stadium is also expected to feature a steeper first tier, allowing for a vastly improved viewing experience for fans seated in that section of the ground.