After nearly two and a half years of reconstruction, FC Barcelona invited the media for the first tour of the renovated Spotify Camp Nou. Although the venue has undergone major changes, the City Council has refused to grant the club permission to host a match this coming Sunday.

Great return after 29 months

The last match at Spotify Camp Nou was played on May 28, 2023, when Barça beat Mallorca 3–0. Since then, the stadium has remained closed, and the team temporarily moved to Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. On Tuesday, the club organized a visit for nearly one hundred journalists, who could see how the venue looks ahead of its planned reopening.

The renovation focused mainly on the first and second tiers, which had not undergone such extensive work since the stadium’s inauguration in 1957. They have now been connected to the emerging third tier, whose showcase will be a double VIP ring. Many improvements have been introduced, but the stadium is still far from full functionality.

© Stadionvoyeur | Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc)

Changes visible at every step

The modernization covered both safety issues and fan comfort. The slope of the lower rows was adjusted to improve visibility. The Grada d’Animació has been equipped with special seats that allow matches to be watched while standing. New ramps for people with reduced mobility and wider service routes will facilitate access for ambulances and team buses.

The evacuation time of the stadium is expected to drop from eight to just 4.5 minutes. More than 9 kilometers of fire-protection pipes and new railings on the stairs leading to the stands have been installed. At the same time, the club carried out 3,000 maintenance actions.

VIPs, press and modern solutions

A new feature is the glass tunnel leading players onto the pitch, visible to guests in VIP boxes. The Pitch Club is not ready yet, but the club is focusing on exclusive experiences for its wealthiest fans. The largest box will host 50 VIP seats, and the total number of such places has risen to 475.

Journalists will receive new workstations on the third level of the main stand. The Operational Control Unit has been moved to the Gol Sud, and the monitoring system will cover up to 800 cameras. The stadium also gained certified lighting in line with LaLiga and UEFA standards. Attention was paid to details too – from repainted walls in club colors, to toilets, to a car park with electric charging points.

© FC Barcelona | Construction of Spotify Camp Nou

Tradition in a new form

The renovated Camp Nou also found space for symbols. The chapel with the Moreneta figure has been moved but kept its 1957 altar, weighing half a ton.

For now, the team will use temporary locker rooms – one of them was previously intended for visitors and had already been rebuilt twice due to flooding. The main locker room facilities and an amphitheater-style press room are not yet completed.

Unfinished works and no license

Despite the impressive changes, Barcelona’s City Council refused to grant a license for the match against Real Sociedad. Officials stated that the works still have shortcomings in terms of safety and evacuation.

The problems listed included insufficient width of pitch-side emergency exits, barriers not meeting the required height and misleading signage. In addition, there is still no full access route for emergency vehicles.

As a result, the match will be moved to Montjuïc. We will not dedicate a minute more than necessary to granting the first occupancy permit, until we have full guarantees of fan safety, stressed deputy mayor Laia Bonet.

© FC Barcelona | Construction of Spotify Camp Nou

Club versus city

FC Barcelona remains in open conflict with city authorities. Elena Fort, vice president and head of Espai Barça, said on Tuesday morning: We have already submitted all the documentation and hope the City Council will grant the permit today. I can say the building is correct, but some details are missing. We hope to return this Sunday.

A few hours later, the Council rejected the request. Joan Sentelles, FC Barcelona’s chief operating officer, went even further, claiming: The new Spotify Camp Nou is the safest stadium in Spain.

Economy over football?

The rush to return to Camp Nou is not only about sporting reasons. According to Spanish media, finances are the key. Laporta had to play a match, even if it was just one, to pretend the stadium was operating and to account for revenues from VIP box sales, it was noted.

The club president also had commitments to sponsors and business partners that are difficult to fulfill without a functioning stadium. Delays also undermine the original promises – neither Limak, the main contractor, has kept the deadlines, nor honored the clause of €1 million penalty for each day of delay.

The budget for the entire Espai Barça project has already reached €1.5 billion, financed by a loan from Goldman Sachs. For Laporta, this is a matter of political survival – elections will be held next year, and without additional revenue the club could close the season with further losses. In a separate article, we analyzed all of Joan Laporta’s failures linked to Camp Nou reconstruction, which show just how serious the project’s problems have become.