Camp Nou
Camp Nou (Catalan pronunciation: [ˌkamˈnɔw], meaning New Field, often referred to in English as the Nou Camp) is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957.[8] It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increased seating capacity of 105,000,[9] it will be the stadium with the largest capacity in Spain and Europe, and the second largest football stadium in the world.[10][11]
Full name
Camp Nou
at Palau Reial or Les Corts
at Collblanc
at Av. de Xile
23[6]
105,000 (expected)[5]
120,000 (Barcelona vs Juventus), 1986 European Cup, Quarter-finals[7]
105 m × 68 m (115 yd × 74 yd)[1]
GrassMaster hybrid grass[4] (5% synthetic fibres, 95% natural grass)
1954–1957
24 September 1957[1]
2026 (expected)[2]
€1.73 billion
Francesc Mitjans and Josep Soteras
It has hosted two European Cup/Champions League finals in 1989 and 1999, two European Cup Winners' Cup finals, four Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final games, five UEFA Super Cup games, four Copa del Rey finals, two Copa de la Liga finals, and twenty-one Supercopa de España finals. It also hosted five matches in the 1982 FIFA World Cup (including the opening game), half of the four matches at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, and the football tournament's final at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Renovation of the stadium commenced after the end of the 2022-2023 season. Final completion of all renovations is scheduled for June 2026, although the club may return before that date.[12][13] During the renovation, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is serving as FC Barcelona's home ground.
Renovation and expansion
The club issued an international tender to remodel the stadium as a celebration of the stadium's fiftieth anniversary. The objective was to make the facility an integrated and highly visible urban environment. The club sought to increase the seating capacity by 13,500, with at least half of the total seating to be under cover. The intention was to make it the third-largest stadium in the world in terms of seating capacity, after the Narendra Modi Stadium in India (132,000 capacity) and Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea (114,000 capacity).
On 18 September 2007, the British architect Norman Foster and his company were selected to "restructure" the Camp Nou. The plan included the addition of roughly 6,000 seats, for a maximum capacity of 105,000, at an estimated cost of €250 million.[46] The Barcelona board approved the sale of their former training ground (the Mini Estadi) against significant opposition in order to finance the remodeling. The project was planned to begin in 2009 and to be finished for the 2011–12 season.[47] However, due to the 2008 financial crisis, the sale of the training ground was postponed, and likewise the remodeling project. In May 2010, Sandro Rosell, then a candidate for president of Barcelona, dismissed the possibility of selling the Mini Estadi, saying it would be indefensible to "sell the crown jewels", and his election on 30 June 2010 effectively halted the plan to remodel the Camp Nou.[48][49]
In January 2014, Barcelona's board of directors rejected the option of building a new stadium due to financial constraints, and instead opted to remodel the Camp Nou to bring the capacity up to 105,000.[50] The project was expected to run from 2017 to early 2021, with a cost of around £495 million (€600 million), making it one of the most expensive expansions on a per-seat basis.[51][52] A refined plan was released in May 2015 showing plans to add a canopy over the stands and showing the plans for seating expansion in greater detail.[53] Construction was planned in 2019 to begin in summer 2020 and to be completed in 2024.[54]
On 28 April 2022, the club confirmed that renovations would begin after the 2022–23 season.[55] Renovation work on the stadium began on 1 June 2023.[56] At that time, Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated that the club expected to return by December 2024, when most of the work will be done.[13] Final completion of all renovations is scheduled for June 2026.[12] While the renovations are ongoing, Barcelona is playing home matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuïc.
Camp Nou has been used for various purposes other than football, often hosting major concerts. Some notable high-profile appearances include:
On 4 November 2014, Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), which operates France's professional rugby union leagues, announced that the 2015–16 Top 14 final would be held at the Camp Nou on 24 June 2016.[59] The Top 14 final is traditionally held at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. However, the scheduling of the 2015 Rugby World Cup caused the 2015–16 French season to be shifted by several weeks, in turn causing the Stade de France to be unavailable because it would be a major venue for UEFA Euro 2016.[60] The match ultimately drew a crowd of 99,124, setting a new record for attendance at a domestic rugby union match.[61]
On 18 May 2019, the first Super League game in Spain was hosted Camp Nou. The Catalans Dragons defeated the Wigan Warriors 33–16. This match set the Super League attendance record for a non-Magic Weekend, regular season fixture, attracting 31,555 fans.
In 2022, Barcelona had the largest known attendances for women's football since the 1971 Women's World Cup final,[62][63] Mexico–Denmark (110,000), at the Azteca Stadium.[64][65] Real Madrid and Wolfsburg were the visiting teams at Camp Nou in the Women's Champions League (91,553 and 91,648).[63][64]
