Barcelona's Nou Camp renovation is well underway
Barcelona’s Nou Camp renovation is well underway and will set the Spanish giants back £1.25bn… but why are they doing the work? How far through are they? And what will it look like when its completed?
- The club will play their home games at Spain’s Olympic Stadium next season
- They have wasted no time ripping down areas of the ground in the off-season
- Work will see a roof added and the ground’s capacity increased to 105,000
The renovation of one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums is well underway.
The Nou Camp looks almost unrecognisable with extended building work set to take place for the foreseeable future, with the third tier being demolished following the conclusion of the 2023-23 campaign.
Barcelona will play their home games at the Olympic Stadium in Spain next term amid work continuing into the rest of the year with the aim of returning to their home soon – though work isn’t expected to be completed until 2026.
The stadium has been relatively untouched since it was built 1957, so the work will see the biggest renovation of the ground in its history. It’s hoped it will help the club ‘achieve their collective dream’, according to president Joan Laporta.
But why are they renovating? How far through the project are they? And what will it look like when it’s complete? Mail Sport has all the answers.
Barcelona are redeveloping the Nou Camp in the largest renovation in the stadium’s history
The iconic ground will be out of action for the foreseeable future as the £1.25billion work takes place
The ground is surrounded by rubble as cranes continue to pull down large sections of the structure
Why they are renovating
For one of the biggest clubs in the world, the ground was decaying and often received criticism from away fans that would visit the ground.
With the blueprint produced in 2018, the green light was given to undergo work in 2021 and is expected to set the club back £1.25billion.
They have already worked on a new stadium for its youth and reserve teams, named after Dutch great Johan Cruyff at the site of its training ground.
With other clubs in Europe including Manchester City, Tottenham and Real Madrid all receiving ground work in recent years, the Catalan side needed to catch up and they’re doing just that.
The work will bring Barcelona’s facilities up to speed with modern renovations as they continue their push to become the dominant brand – and football team – in the world.
Wasting no time in demolishing the ground
Barcelona president Laporta was pictured at the stadium alongside several members of the Board of Directors in recent days to soak up the work.
The 61-year-old was seen wearing a high-visibility jacket and a hardhat as he checked out the progress that had been made.
The roofless, 66-year-old ground became an iconic sight in world football – but will soon look very different
Barca president, Joan Laporta, was pictured at the stadium alongside several board members
The Nou Camp looks almost unrecognisable as work on the stadium continues this summer
Speaking highly of the pace of the work, he said: ‘It is an impact, and the first sensation it generates is nostalgia.
‘But, after walking around and seeing the pace of the works, which are going well, it gives you the feeling of hope and joy because we are fulfilling a collective dream of the people of Barcelona.’
Cranes have been pictured tearing down the walls of the ground just six weeks after the end of the club’s title-winning LaLiga campaign with 250 workers on site.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the club is planning to use the grass from last season’s pitch to sustainably create the a of sparkling gems in a carbonisation process that will produce the authentic diamonds in just one week.
Barcelona’s refurbishment has had 250 workers busy on site in recent weeks following the end of the football season
Seats have been taken out with the new ground to include larger seats despite an increased capacity
The collection of jewellery is being called the Etern Spotify Nou Camp 1957, a nod to when the ground was first built.
It has been claimed they are planning to manufacture pins, bracelets, cufflinks, rings, necklaces, shields and pins utilising the diamonds, with 1957 jewels from the 7,000 square-metre pitch, setting punters back £12,000 per purchase.
Several seats have been removed from the stands in the ground, with the third tier practically empty, stripping it of the iconic ‘Mes Que un Club’ motto that provided the backdrop for player unveilings.
Large parts of the stadium have already been reduced to rubble to the shock of many worldwide
Laporta spoke highly of the pace of the work, which is set to continue into 2016
Laporta said the work will help the club ‘achieve their collective dream’ as one of the biggest brands and clubs in the world
What it will look like
The renovation will include a roof being added and the stadium’s name being changed to the ‘Spotify Nou Camp’.
The name change comes after the cash-strapped club signed a mega £237million sponsorship deal with the music streaming giants, helping with their previous financial issues.
Barcelona will also create more facilities for supporters, including new VIP areas, while the seats inside the stadium will also be bigger after the plans are completed.
The new stadium will have ‘sustainability at the DNA of the project’ with solar panels on the new stadium, with geothermal energy and a new water recycling system placed underneath the ground.
Barca had originally hoped to reopen the stadium in time for their 125th anniversary in 2024, but their return is now expected to come in the 2025-26 season.
The Barcelona ground will have more facilities for fans, new VIP areas and a stadium roof
Barcelona shared a video revealing blueprints to revamp and extend the Nou Camp in 2018
The plans are to install a roof covering the whole arena – a complete contrast to previously
The renovation is part of an 18-acre heritage renovation of the area surrounding the stadium.
A new hotel, set of club offices, a parking lot for buses and a pavilion will also be constructed as part of the renovation plans.
Along with the roof being added, however, potentially the main renovation is that the stadium’s capacity will increase from 99,000 to 105,000, even with the larger seats.
It is set to earn the club an extra £25million a year when completed.
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