On a March day, workmen renovating Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium remove their white helmets and march to their lunch destination at half past one. A few of them make their way to the bustling restaurant and café district, Carrer d’Aristides Maillol. Some people would rather enjoy their sandwiches outside in the shade of the pine trees on Avinguda de Joan XXIII close to La Masia de Can Planes, which is the fabled location of Barca’s youth academy (currently housed at the team’s training base outside of the city). Their location of employment for the last eight months has been one of the most esteemed venues in world football. Barca supporters used to congregate on the esplanade in front of Camp Nou. Now it is a territory defined by dust and noise.
However, visitors still come here. As it stands today, Europe’s largest stadium looks to have disappointed a boy of roughly eight years old. “We’ll have to come back when it’s finished,” his mother says, giving him a gentle head rub. The boy doesn’t seem to be quite sold on this suggestion. With the redesigned Camp Nou expected to open at two-thirds capacity, Barcelona has stated that they intend to return in time for their 125th anniversary (the club was founded on November 29, 1899). However, that appeared to be somewhat undermined when President Joan Laporta declared at the conclusion of the last campaign that, “assuming no unforeseen circumstances, we will have the best stadium in the world on our return in December 2024.”
For the 2025–2026 season, capacity is expected to rise to 90–95%. Barcelona and builders Limak have set June 2026 as the completion date for the site, with current project costs estimated at €900 million (£766 million; $984 million at current prices).
However, the most recent estimate of expenditures for the larger Espai Barca project, of which the stadium refurbishment is the most important component, was €1.5 billion (£1.3 billion; $1.6 billion). And delays and setbacks are unavoidable given how far that project has come in the last 20 years.
During a November tour to the Camp Nou site, Laporta stated, “On timeness is the most important thing.” Barcelona said that the Camp Nou renovations are “on schedule”
Every day, elderly residents from the area come to observe how things are going. They are aware of the ideal spots to see over the tall metal barriers encircling the development. One man points to the Municipal de Les Corts cemetery, which is situated on somewhat higher elevation, and says, “Stand over there.” Currently, there are over 1,200 employees working there. That figure increased from about 250 during the initial stages of the demolition and is predicted to rise even higher.
El Periodico, a Spanish daily, said in an investigative article on the Camp Nou refurbishment back in November that certain workers employed by subcontractors had not received overtime compensation. Inspectors from the regional government went to the location after reading the report. The Labor Inspectorate of Catalonia, the Inspeccio de Treball, has been conducting monthly visits while conducting an investigation. There is no ongoing inquiry into Barcelona, and there are no safety concerns at the location. We have reached out to Limak for an interview.
As part of the larger Espai Barca project, Barcelona has set up a temporary area with stores and attractions that connect to the other areas they also intend to refurbish. The path that leads to the locations where Barca’s handball, roller hockey, and basketball teams continue to play appears to be from a theme park. Beneath is the spectral outline of a demolished football field.
Barcelona had previously announced that they would celebrate their 125th anniversary at Camp Nou (image courtesy of FC Barcelona).
As of right moment, the foundations supporting the stadium’s new third deck are the primary focus of construction at Camp Nou. Massive cranes have been erected to assist in moving them into position. The 85-meter-tall cranes were transported in from Kuwait.
The historic lower two tiers of the ground have already been restored and cleaned. Few recent ground visitors would contest that they were beginning to exhibit signs of wear and tear, given that they had been constructed in 1957. Barca must make their quick return since the club’s finances are negatively impacted by their brief stay at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. It was anticipated last year that, after accounting for missed revenue and the cost of preparing the pitch for the match, playing this season on Montjuic would cost them roughly €90 million (£77 million; $98 million).
The reconstructed Camp Nou in Barcelona is scheduled to be completed in June 2026 (image courtesy of FC Barcelona).
The club had to slash ticket prices in an effort to increase demand because attendance has been fewer than anticipated. Out of the 80,274 season ticket holders at Camp Nou, just 17,552 chose to relocate to Montjuic despite the club offering 27,385 spots for them. The stated capacity of The Lluis Company is 54,367, although about 10% of those seats have poor visibility. For an NFL game, just 49,472 have 100% of the pitch visible.
More than 50,000 people witnessed Real Madrid’s El Clasico loss in October (50,112), while 46,229 people watched Villarreal’s loss in January. The games in December against Almeria (34,471) and Atletico Madrid (34,568) have drawn the lowest attendance to date. 40,959 is their average gate. Although it’s hardly Camp Nou, the atmosphere at home games hasn’t been awful. Barcelona presented updated projected pictures of the finished site to the Architects’ Association of Catalonia on Monday. The project was dubbed “a benchmark for the city and for the world” by executives. The 125th anniversary was not mentioned in a story about the event that appeared on Barcelona’s official website; instead, it was said that their return was “planned for the end of this year of 2024.”
The possibility of returning to Camp Nou is exciting, given the team has so far had a season to forget (at least in terms of domestic play—Tuesday’s crucial Champions League encounter against Napoli is still to come). Fans, especially those who chose not to follow the squad across town, are hoping it arrives as soon as possible.
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