FC Barcelona is planning on reopening its new-look Spotify Camp Nou at a capacity of 64,000 in December, with the venue on track to be fully ready by 2026.
The capacity of the Camp Nou is being expanded from 98,000 to 105,000 as part of the wide-ranging Espai Barça project. Work commenced on the revamp in May 2023 and Barcelona has been playing at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while the expansion is carried out.
At the time, Barcelona president Joan Laporta said that the club would be ready to move back into the Camp Nou by the end of 2024. Club officials have now provided an update to Spanish media outlets, including Mundo Deportivo, on the planned return.
Although Joan Sentelles, director of operations at Espai Barça, conceded that there are “unforeseen circumstances” that the club cannot control, the aim is for the first and second tiers of the new-look stadium to be ready by December. A 64,000 capacity would represent around 60% of the stadium’s eventual overall capacity.
Construction work will continue at the Camp Nou throughout the 2024-25 season. Work will focus on a new third tier for the stadium, as well as a new roof. Barcelona is also said to be planning a skywalk on the roof of the Camp Nou in a bid to generate new revenue streams.
It was reported in April that Barcelona had set December 15 for its return to the Camp Nou. This would be slightly later than the November 29 date originally targeted by the club.
The Espai Barça project will also include a new Palau Blaugrana arena and the wide-ranging Campus Barça development. Work on the 15,000-seat Palau Blaugrana is set to take place from 2025 to 2027, with the Camp Nou viewed as a priority.
Earlier this week, Barcelona announced Iluminación Disano as the latest partner of its sponsorship programme dedicated to Espai Barça.
Iluminación Disano, a Catalan company which specialises in the manufacture and design of lighting solutions, has signed on as the exclusive lighting supplier to Espai Barça for the six seasons through to the end of the 2030-31 campaign.
