Since 1957 Barcelona has called the Camp Nou home, the stadium has seen many greats pass through it’s tunnels, Diego Maradona, Romario, Luis Figo, Xavi, Luis Suarez, and Lionel Messi. Now it’s time for the home field to take center stage.
According to Front Office Sports, the Spotify Camp Nou will have a total renovation budget of $966 million, according to team president Joan Laporta. Barcelona have been slowly readjusting their finances after the club was left in major debt by the previous administration.
Without the star power of Lionel Messi and now down the pecking order of Europe’s best team the club has looked to other areas to gain revenue. The club’s sponsorship deal with Spotify is reportedly worth $306 million. Said sponsorship aided in the approval of the renovation budget of the legendary stadium.
What upgrades will the Camp Nou have?
The biggest upgrade is in capacity as the stadium will go from 99,000 seats to 105,000 making it one of the largest capacities in Europe. The third tier of the stadium is set to be demolished and reconstructed and that will increase capacity.
Pedri of FC Barcelona runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Javi Puado of RCD Espanyol during the LaLiga Santander match between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol at Spotify Camp Nou on December 31, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
A retractable roof will be added and will have 30,000 square meters of solar panels that will provide a 360-degree screen with power. Another interesting upgrade and trait will be that rainwater will be collected and recycled on-site.
The area surrounding the stadium will also have a hotel, office complexes, an ice rink and basketball arena that will be constructed. Barcelona is the second-most-valuable soccer team in the world at $5 billion according Forbes.
