At half past one on a March afternoon, workers rebuilding Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium take off their white helmets and parade to their chosen place for lunch.
Some of them head towards Carrer d’Aristides Maillol, an area full of restaurants and cafes. Others prefer to eat their sandwiches under the shade of the pine trees on Avinguda de Joan XXIII near La Masia de Can Planes — the legendary former site of Barca’s youth academy (which is now located at the club’s training ground on the city’s outskirts).
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For the past eight months, one of the most prestigious arenas in world football has been their workplace. The esplanade in front of the Camp Nou used to be a gathering place for Barca fans. Now it is a territory defined by dust and noise.
Tourists still come here, though. A boy of about eight years old seems disappointed by Europe’s biggest stadium as it appears today. His mother tenderly comforts him by stroking his head and saying: “We’ll have to come back when it’s finished.” The boy does not seem entirely satisfied with this proposal.
Barcelona have said they plan to return in time for their 125th anniversary (the club was founded on November 29, 1899), with the revamped Camp Nou due to open at two-thirds capacity. But that seemed to slip slightly when at the end of last season president Joan Laporta said: “On our return in December 2024, assuming no unforeseen circumstances, we will have the best stadium in the world.”
Capacity is planned to increase to 90 to 95 per cent for the 2025-26 season, and Barcelona and builders Limak have agreed a date of June 2026 for the ground to be completed — with current costs for the project at €900million (£766m; $984m at present rates).
However, costs for the wider Espai Barca project — of which the stadium renovation is the most significant part — were most recently estimated at €1.5billion (£1.3bn; $1.6bn). And given how that project has advanced so far over the last two decades, setbacks and delays cannot be ruled out.
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“Being on time is the most important thing,” Laporta said on a visit to the Camp Nou site in November. When asked by The Athletic this week, Barcelona said the Camp Nou works are indeed “on schedule”.
Local pensioners come every day to keep an eye on how things are progressing. They know the vantage points that give you the best view over the high metal fences surrounding the construction. “Stand over there,” one man says, pointing towards the Municipal de Les Corts cemetery, on slightly higher ground.
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Some 1,200 workers are currently employed on the site. That number has grown from around 250 during the first phases of demolition and is expected to grow further still.
Back in November, Spanish newspaper El Periodico published an investigative report into the Camp Nou reconstruction, alleging some employees hired by subcontractors had not been paid for overtime.
Following the report, regional government inspectors visited the site. An investigation by Catalonia’s Inspeccio de Treball (Labour Inspectorate) is ongoing, and they have been making monthly visits since. Barcelona are themselves not the subject of any investigation, and no safety issues have been found on the site. Limak has been approached for comment.
Barcelona have installed a temporary section of shops and attractions, linking out to the other spaces they also plan to renovate as part of the wider Espai Barca project. The walkway leading towards venues still housing Barca’s basketball, handball and roller hockey teams play looks like something out of a theme park. Below looms the ghostly shape of a deconstructed football ground.
Right now, the main focus of the Camp Nou works is on the pillars that will support the stadium’s new third tier. Enormous cranes have been assembled to help lift them into place. The cranes are 85 metres tall and were shipped in from Kuwait.
The ground’s old lower two tiers have already been cleaned up and restored. They were built in 1957, and few recent visitors to the ground would disagree that they were showing signs of wear and tear.
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It is vital that Barca return as soon as possible because their temporary stay at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys does no favours to the club’s finances. Last year it was estimated that playing this season on Montjuic would cost them about €90million (£77m; $98m), taking into account lost revenue and money spent to get the ground match-ready.
Attendances have been lower than expected, and the club also had to cut ticket prices in an attempt to boost demand. Of the 80,274 season-ticket holders at Camp Nou, only 17,552 took up the option to move to Montjuic when the club had made 27,385 places available to them.
The Lluis Companys’ official capacity is 54,367 — although almost 10 per cent of those seats have limited visibility. Only 49,472 have 100 per cent pitch views for a football match.
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Over 50,000 attended October’s El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid (50,112), while 46,229 watched January’s defeat by Villarreal. The worst attendances so far have been for the December games against Almeria (34,471) and Atletico Madrid (34,568). Their average gate is 40,959. The atmosphere has not been terrible at home matches, but it is not Camp Nou.
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On Monday, Barcelona released new projected images of the completed ground in a presentation made at the Architects’ Association of Catalonia. Executives described the project as “a benchmark for the city and for the world”. A story covering the event on Barcelona’s official website did not mention the 125th anniversary in November, instead noting their return was “planned for the end of this year of 2024”.
With the club so far enduring a season to forget (on the domestic front at least — Tuesday’s key Champions League match against Napoli is to come) on Montjuic, the prospect of moving back to Camp Nou is an exciting one.
Fans are hoping it comes as quickly as possible — especially those who decided against following the team across town.
(Top photo: FC Barcelona)
