Barcelona have confirmed that they will not play at the Camp Nou during the 2023-2024 season as their iconic ground will undergo a major renovation.
The club announced through club president Joan Laporta that Barcelona’s City Council have agreed the club will move to the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, where all of their home games will take place after the upcoming campaign. The stadium hosted the 1992 Summer Olympic Games and is a short hop across the city.
The Nou Camp will undergo a massive renovation project that is expected to cost the club £1.3billion. Meanwhile, their move to the Olympic Stadium, which is also known as Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys or ‘Montjuic’ will cost the club around £17 million, before they return to the Nou Camp, which is set to upgrade from 99,354 seats to 105,000.
The renovation will include a roof being added and the stadium’s name being changed to the ‘Spotify Camp Nou’ in a giant £237m sponsorship deal with the music streaming giants.
The club expects the upgradation would provide them with an extra £160m per season income, once complete.
Club president Joan Laporta confirmed the plans via The Sun.
“All members and season ticket holders who want to come to the stadium will be able to do so by means of a democratic system on a rotation basis so that as many people as possible get the chance to be here at the Olympic Stadium.”
Barcelona City Council’s deputy mayor Jaume Collboni added:
“I think this is the best way to celebrate 30 years of the Olympic Games in the city. We are honoured and proud to welcome Barcelona to the stadium.”
The Olympic Stadium holds 55,000 – a little over half of the Nou Camp’s top capacity, and Barcelona will update the ground to the tune of £15m before moving in. The stadium was once home to Barcelona’s fierce intra-city rivals Espanyol from 1997 to 2009.
