Boost for Barcelona’s £1.3bn Camp Nou stadium expansion

Over 44% of the club’s worldwide membership took part in the electronically held referendum on Sunday 19 December, which saw 42,963 votes in favour, 5,055 in opposition and 875 abstain.

The club is currently in financial struggles, with its gross debt equal to that of the value of the proposed stadium expansion - £1.3bn. The club has agreed a €595M (£508M) loan from Goldman Sachs on a 35-year plan, with a five year grace period, to restructure its finance. The club is also in talks about a new deal on the naming rights for the stadium.

Club president Joan Laporta is confident that the project will quickly be paid back through increased revenue, as he believes the new expansion will generate an extra €200M (£170M) annually.

Camp Nou currently has a capacity of 99,354, making it the largest stadium in Europe, but it was opened in 1957 and is showing signs of wear.

The new upgrade will take it to 105,000 seats by building a new third tier, and the new configuration will make space for all members who are currently on the waiting list for a season ticket. The new development will also improve accessibility, comfort and provide better operational and functional distribution of seats and spaces. There will also be more open spaces within the stands.

VIP seats will be consolidated into a double ring between the second and third tiers. This will considerably increase the VIP capacity and space for VIP facilities, which will generate revenue to pay for the upgrade.

A 360° high-tech screen will wrap all the way round the inside of the stadium.

A new canopy will be built over the stadium, ensuring all spectators are under cover, with 30,000m² of solar panels on top. Other sustainability upgrades include a new geothermal system and a new water recycling system that will collect rain.

There will also be increased capacity for bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging.

Work on the Camp Nou upgrade will begin in summer 2022. Part of the stadium will be closed during the 2022-2023 season, and the team will likely have to move out entirely for the 2023-2024 season, with the nearby Olympic stadium a possible home venue in the interim. The team will return to the Camp Nou for the 2024-2025 season, with the upgrades to the stadium are projected to be complete towards the end of 2025.

The project will also upgrade the Palau Blaugrana, home to the Barcelona basketball team, which is on the same complex. It will increase capacity for sports spectators from 10,000 to 15,000, and will go up to 18,000 for concerts. This work is projected to take place between 2024 and 2026.

The ‘Espai Barca’ project will also upgrade the campus, creating new conference rooms, children’s play areas, restaurants and an e-sports arena. There will be a new hub built into the stadium that expands out into the campus, which will include 2,500m² of commercial space and a 3,000m² museum. This work will take place between 2025 and 2027.

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