Features

Barcelona to accelerate Camp Nou work during World Cup

FC Barcelona will bring forward some of its planned renovation work at the Spotify Camp Nou in the coming months, taking advantage of LaLiga’s winter break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The work will focus on the demolition of the outer ring of the stadium, the cantilever roof that protrudes from the façade of the South Goal stand, and half of the third tier in the same South Goal zone.

Preliminary work to prepare the area will begin on September 1 and will focus on the dismantling of systems, facilities, catering area, seats, accessories, railings, beams and the video scoreboard.

In April, Barcelona detailed the timeline for its major renovation of the Camp Nou, with the club initially planning on demolishing the third tier in the summer of 2023. Some of this work will now be brought forward.

Barcelona said the partial acceleration of the project will save time ahead of the bulk of the work being done during the 2023-24 season, which the club will spend at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, with Barcelona to launch a tender for the project in the coming weeks. The maximum cost of the project will be €4.6m (£3.9m/$4.7m) and will be included within the framework of the bridging loan signed by the club last summer.

The work will affect 3,782 seats in the South Goal zone, mainly in the third tier, which will be removed. Barcelona said that 3,182 of these seats will belong to season ticket holders, who will be relocated to similar areas or offered a temporary moratorium on the payment of their season ticket.

The work in the second tier will affect 1,215 season ticket holders, who will move from a covered seat to an uncovered seat. The club will adjust the prices of their season tickets in compensation. Six VIP boxes will also be affected.

Barcelona has already carried out some technological works at the stadium since the Barcelona City Council’s Governing Commission awarded the club a permit to begin the project back in April.

The Camp Nou, which has been officially known as the Spotify Camp Nou since the start of the month, is being revamped as part of the wide-ranging Espai Barça project.

This year’s World Cup will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.

Image: Alessio Patron on Unsplash