Where are Barcelona playing this season? Camp Nou move explained
Barca are packing their bags.
Barcelona are sitting pretty at the top of the La Liga table and are into the quarter-final stage of the Champions League following an impressive first season under the stewardship of manager Hansi Flick.
But if Barca are to record an historic double this season, they must do it without the home comforts of their iconic Camp Nou stadium.
This is because the venue is in the final stages of a full-scale redevelopment, which will cement the stadium’s position as one of the finest in the world.
So, where exactly are Barcelona playing their home games right now?
Here is everything you need to know.
Where are Barcelona playing their home games this season?
Due to the renovation work at the Camp Nou, Barcelona are playing their home games this season at the Estadi Lluis Companys.
The 55,000 capacity stadium is situated on Montjuic, a large hill to the southwest of Barcelona which hosted the summer Olympics back in 1992.
Barca have been playing at the Estadi Lluis Companys since the start of the 2023 season – the first time the club have played away from the Camp Nou since they moved into the stadium in 1957.
When could Barcelona return to the Camp Nou?
The Blaugrana had been planning on moving back to the Camp Nou in 2024, but delays to the project meant they have been forced to stay at their temporary home longer than anticipated.
The Spanish giants hope to return to playing official games at the Camp Nou later this season, albeit with a partial capacity of 60,00 fans.
Should the timeframe slip further, however, then Barcelona will return home next season.
The ultimate completion of the stadium will not be completed until the installation of the new roof, which will be added once the 2025/26 season has finished.
What work is being done at the Camp Nou?
The £1.3 billion project will transform Camp Nou into a 105,000-seater stadium which the club state will be ‘at the avant-garde of technology.’
The venue will include a retractable roof with 30,000 square metres of solar panels, with the energy generated to be used to power a new 360-degree LED display which will span the entirety of the stadium.
New office space will be incorporated into the stadium, whilst the area outside the ground will feature green space, a new hotel, an ice rink and a small stadium to be used by the club’s basketball team.
How will the redeveloped Camp Nou compare to other football venues across Europe?
The Camp Nou was already the largest football stadium in Europe before renovation work began, with a capacity of just over 99,000.
The redeveloped stadium will add an additional 6,000 seats, making it the only football venue in Europe to have a capacity greater than 100,000.
Wembley is second on the list with 90,000 spectators able to fit into the home of English football.
The Bernabeu, home to Barcelona’s El Clasico rivals Real Madrid, holds just over 78,000 fans after its own recent redevelopment to the tune of £1.5 billion.
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