Spotify Camp Nou – design description

What does the Camp Nou redevelopment project look like in brief?

The redevelopment of Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou includes the demolition of the third and highest tier of stands, which will be replaced with a new, larger one of uniform height around the entire bowl. As a result, Europe’s largest stadium will grow even further, surpassing the 100,000-seat mark.

The stadium will also receive a new roof covering all stands, as well as an eye-catching façade featuring three levels of wide, open terraces. The entire arena will undergo a thorough refurbishment and be equipped with cutting-edge technologies.

Plans for expanding Camp Nou date back to the early 21st century. After the failure of the first proposal from 2007, a new vision was developed as part of the broader Espai Barça program, which also includes investments in other FC Barcelona facilities.

Construction work at Camp Nou began in the summer of 2022, with only preliminary works taking place during the first year. It was only in the 2023/24 season, after the team relocated to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, that the redevelopment moved into full swing.

The implementation of the project has been delayed by more than a year, and the completion of the investment is expected at the end of 2027. However, FC Barcelona is set to return to the stadium before that date, initially playing in front of a reduced-capacity crowd.

How did the plans for Camp Nou’s redevelopment come about?

What did Camp Nou look like before?

Camp Nou was inaugurated on September 24, 1957, as the seventh stadium in FC Barcelona’s history. Initially, it consisted of two tiers of stands running around the entire perimeter and a modest third tier on the western side, which was also covered by a roof.

The stadium has undergone two major renovations so far. Between 1980 and 1982, ahead of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the third tier was extended around the whole stadium. Later, in 1993–1994, the lower tier was rebuilt, the pitch was lowered, and the remaining standing areas were removed.

In this form, the stadium has survived to the present day, although it has seen smaller refurbishments and upgrades over the years. With a capacity of 99,354 spectators, Camp Nou remains the largest stadium in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

Why was another redevelopment of Camp Nou planned?

FC Barcelona is one of the most recognisable football clubs in the world, with a massive global fan base. The team has the potential to attract even more spectators to the stands and to generate higher revenues from hospitality areas and commercial spaces.

In the past, Camp Nou’s capacity reached as high as 120,000 spectators, but it was reduced to below 100,000 after seats were installed across all stands. Since the early 21st century, the club has therefore been planning another expansion of the stadium.

It is also worth noting that many major stadium projects are currently being carried out across Spain, improving the infrastructure of clubs throughout the country. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona’s biggest rival, has also completed a major redevelopment of its home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

How did the vision for Camp Nou’s redevelopment take shape?

In 2007, an architectural design competition was held for the redevelopment of the stadium, which was won by the renowned firm Foster + Partners. However, due to the global financial crisis, the project never came to fruition.

In 2014, a referendum was held among club members, who voted in favour of the Espai Barça project – a comprehensive plan for redeveloping FC Barcelona’s sports facilities, with the modernisation of Camp Nou as its central element.

The following design competition, held in 2016, was won by Nikken Sekkei together with Joan Pascual – Ramon Ausió Arquitectes. The final version of the project was later prepared by architects from IDOM, b720 and Nikken Sekkei.

What does the Camp Nou redevelopment project involve?

The most significant change in the Camp Nou modernisation will be the construction of a completely new third tier of stands, designed to have a uniform height around the entire external perimeter. This will increase the stadium’s capacity to approximately 105,000 spectators.

A new strip of VIP boxes will also be added between the second tier and the new third tier. The project includes the installation of a new roof covering all spectator areas. Under the roof, three large video screens will be installed (an earlier plan for a continuous, panoramic screen was eventually abandoned).

On the outside, the stadium will gain a more striking appearance, with three levels of wide, open terraces. The entire arena will also be upgraded and equipped with the latest technologies.

The Camp Nou redevelopment is the centerpiece of a larger plan to modernise FC Barcelona’s facilities, known as Espai Barça. As part of this programme, changes will also take place around the stadium. The most significant of these was the removal of Miniestadi, which will be replaced by a new sports hall, Nou Palau Blaugrana.

How much will the Camp Nou redevelopment cost?

Due to rapidly rising project costs, another internal referendum was held at the end of 2021, in which club members approved the implementation of Espai Barça within a budget of no more than €1.5 billion. Approximately €900 million was initially allocated for the Camp Nou expansion alone, though this figure later rose to over €1 billion.

How is the Camp Nou redevelopment progressing?

Construction work at Camp Nou began in July 2022, but during the first year activities were deliberately limited, focusing mainly on the demolition of a section of the upper tier of the southern stand, which took place in the second half of 2022.

It was only in the 2023/24 season, after FC Barcelona relocated to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, that the redevelopment moved into full swing. Completion of the project is now expected at the end of 2027, although the club is set to return to the stadium earlier, initially playing matches with a reduced capacity.

What was the initial stage of work on the Camp Nou redevelopment?

Preparatory work began in July 2022. It is also worth noting that, from that same month, a sponsorship agreement came into effect, changing the stadium’s name to Spotify Camp Nou.

On 1 September 2022, demolition began on a section of the stand behind the southern goal. The scope of the work included dismantling elements in the rear part of this stand, along with the removal of the central section of the upper tier. New stairways and evacuation routes were then planned to restore access to seats not affected by the redevelopment on the first and second tiers.

Work started with the removal of the scoreboard and seats. This led to the elimination of 3,782 seats, most of which were occupied by season ticket holders, who were offered relocation to similar areas elsewhere in the stadium or the option to temporarily defer payment.

Demolition gained momentum in November 2022, following the start of the league break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. At that time, the dismantling of the reinforced concrete elements of the stand began. This work was completed by the end of 2022 at a cost of €4.6 million. The demolition was carried out by the company Erri Berri.

The decision to partially demolish the third tier of Gol Sud during the 2022/23 season was made to take advantage of the World Cup break; the work had originally been scheduled for a later stage.

Partial demolition of this section of Camp Nou was a priority, as it is where all technological connections will be installed. Completing this work early also helped in planning the overall construction schedule and allowed time savings when the main redevelopment work began.

How is the main phase of the Camp Nou redevelopment progressing?

Construction moved into full swing after the end of the 2022/23 season, when FC Barcelona temporarily relocated to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, located about 4 km to the southeast. As this stadium has a much smaller capacity than Camp Nou (just under 56,000), some season ticket holders had their passes cancelled.

The first works in this phase involved the demolition of the remaining section of the old third tier. At the beginning of 2023, it was announced that the main contractor would be the Turkish company Limak Construction.

The choice of this firm was questioned, as it had previously completed only one stadium project (the new stadium in Mersin), although Limak’s portfolio includes the construction of Istanbul Airport and several other large-scale projects.

The contractor was scheduled to enter the site in June 2023. At that stage, it was assumed that FC Barcelona would return to Camp Nou before the club’s 125th anniversary (29 November 2024), initially playing matches with reduced capacity, and that all works would be completed by June 2026.

Although construction under Limak Construction progressed, the project experienced delays, making a return on the club’s 125th anniversary unrealistic.

The contract with Limak included a €1 million penalty for each day of delay; however, the club chose not to enforce it, citing good cooperation and the risk of further delays. In the meantime, the media also reported potential violations of labour rights by Limak or its subcontractors.

FC Barcelona’s “return” to Camp Nou eventually took place on 7 November 2025, but only as part of an open training session, attended by approximately 22,000 spectators. The date for resuming matches at the stadium remains unknown, and the completion of the entire investment has been pushed back to the end of 2027.

Progress on the Camp Nou construction can be followed on a dedicated page