One of the stands displaying Barcelona's motto,Més que un club, meaning "More than a club"A view of the supporters' side during a match, showing the FC Barcelona coloursMain stand external view of the stadium
The construction of the Camp Nou started on 28 March 1954 as Barcelona's previous stadium,Camp de Les Corts, had no room for expansion. Although originally planned to be called the Estadi del Barcelona, the more popular name Camp Nou ("new field") was used.[15] The June 1950 signing ofLászló Kubala, regarded as one of Barcelona's greatest players, provided further impetus to the construction of a larger stadium.[16][17][18]
On 14 November 1950, the president Agustí Montal i Galobart obtained the favourable agreement of an assembly of members[19] to acquire land for the construction of a new stadium, located in Hospitalet de Llobregat, which was later exchanged with the Barcelona City Council for other land in the neighbourhood of Les Corts. The stadium is located at the end of Travessera de les Corts, next to the Cementiri and the Maternitat. The commission dedicated to the project recommended another location in February 1951. The official purchase took place two years later.[19]
The appointment of Francesc Miró-Sans as president of Barcelona, on 14 November 1953, was to relaunch the project. Invested in February of the following year, Miró-Sans decided in favour of the land acquired in 1950, and the first stone of the stadium was laid on 28 March 1954.[20] A procession of several thousands of people made the journey from the Camp de Les Corts to La Masia de Can Planes, where the ceremony of laying the first stone was held, a solemn ceremony in the presence of Miró-Sans, the head of the Civil Government of Barcelona and the archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego.[20]
The project was completed one year later, when the club entrusted the construction to the building company Ingar SA. The work was supposed to last eight months, but the costs were more than four times higher than expected, reaching 288 million pesetas. Through mortgages and loans, the club managed to finish the project, borrowing heavily for several years. The club hoped to cover the cost with the sale of the land atLes Corts, but the Barcelona City Council took five years to requalify it, giving rise to a period of certain economic hardship, Finally, the head of state and of the Spanish government at the time, the dictatorFrancisco Franco, authorised the requalification of the land at Les Corts.[21][22] During the course of the Camp Nou construction work, La Masia served as a workshop for making the models and a workplace for architects and builders.
The architects were Francesc Mitjans and Josep Soteras, with the collaboration of Lorenzo García-Barbón.[23]
Finally, on 24 September 1957, the feast of La Mercè, the Camp Nou was inaugurated.[24] A solemn mass presided over by the archbishop, who welcomed the finished stadium, preceded the Hallelujah from Handel's Messiah. Dignitaries of the Franco regime and of the city gathered in the presidential tribune, and some 90,000 people attended the opening ceremony in the stands of the huge stadium. During the event, football clubs from all over Catalonia paraded on the field, as well as members of the different sections of Barça, the penyes and the different Barcelona teams.[24][25]
Like theSantiago Bernabéu ofReal Madrid, the stadium was inspired byDe Kuip, home ofFeyenoord, which was built in 1937, and featured oval rings around the pitch, resulting in continuous stands without open corners.
Interior of the stadium with its current capacity of 99,354 during aUEFA Champions League game between Barcelona andInter Milan in 2019
The stadium's capacity has varied greatly over the years, opening at 106,146, and growing to 121,401 for the1982 FIFA World Cup.In May 1972, the Camp Nou hosted its firstEuropean Cup Winners' Cup final betweenRangers andDynamo Moscow. Rangers won the match with a score of 3–2. Electronic scoreboards were installed in 1975.[26]
The stadium underwent an expansion in 1982, in anticipation of the1982 FIFA World Cup, which added boxes, VIP lounges, a new press area, new markers and the construction of the third tier, which was smaller in height than the original design by 6 metres (46.60 metres compared to the original design of 52.50 metres). The expansion of the stadium added 22,150 new seats,[27] taking the total seating capacity to 71,731, and the standing capacity was expanded by 16,500 to 49,670, taking the total stadium capacity (seated and standing combined) to 121,401.[28] Barcelona's record attendance was set on 5 March 1986 in the European Cup quarter-final against Juventus in front of 120,000 spectators, just 1,401 shy of the stadium's capacity.[29][30]
The Camp Nou was one of several stadiums used throughout the 1982 World Cup, hosting the inauguration ceremony on 13 June.[31][32] It also hosted more matches in that tournament than any of the 16 other stadiums used all over Spain, including the opening match, where the traditional opening ceremonies took place (including the releasing of a dove). In front of 95,000,Belgium upset the defending championsArgentina 1–0 in that opening match.[33][34] It then hosted three round-robin matches between the Soviet Union, Poland and Belgium, which Poland ended up winning and qualifying from to reach the semi-finals, where they played Italy at the Camp Nou, losing 2–0; Italy went on to win the final match, which was played at theSantiago Bernabéu in Madrid.[35]
As well as hosting Barcelona, the Camp Nou is home to theCatalan team.[37] The stadium is frequently used for other football events. The European Cup final betweenMilan andSteaua București was held on 24 May 1989, with the Italian club winning 4–0.[38] The Camp Nou hosted part of the football competition, including the final, in the1992 Summer Olympics.[39] In preparation for these matches, two additional tiers of seating were installed over the previous roof-line.[40]
The Camp Nou opened theBarcelona club museum in 1984.[41] The stadium was renovated in 1993–94, in which the pitch was lowered by 2.5 metres (8 feet), the security gap that separated the lawn from the galleries was removed, and standing room was eliminated in favour of individual seating. A new press box, renovation of the presidential grandstand and boxes, new parking under the main grandstand and new lighting and sound systems were completed in time for the 1998–99 season.[2] During 1998–99, UEFA rated the Camp Nou a five-star stadium for its services and functionalities.[42] Although popularly called the Camp Nou, the stadium's official name was actually “Estadi del Barcelona” since its completion, and it was not until the 2000–01 season that club members voted to officially rename the stadium to its popular nickname.[43]
The facilities now include a memorabilia shop, mini-pitches for training matches and a chapel for the players. The stadium also houses the second-most visited museum in Catalonia, the Barcelona Museum, which receives more than 1.2 million visitors per year.[44]
In 2022, music streaming serviceSpotify reached a deal with Barcelona to acquire the naming rights to the stadium for four years in a deal worth $310 million. The stadium was rebranded as the Spotify Camp Nou in July 2022.[46]
The club issued an international tender to remodel the stadium as a celebration of the stadium's fiftieth anniversary. The objective was to make the facility an integrated and highly visible urban environment. The club sought to increase the seating capacity by 13,500, with at least half of the total seating to be under cover.[clarification needed] The intention was to make it the third-largest stadium in the world in terms of seating capacity, after theNarendra Modi Stadium inIndia (132,000 capacity) and theRungrado 1st of May Stadium inNorth Korea (114,000 capacity).
On 18 September 2007, the British architectNorman Foster and his company were selected to "restructure" the Camp Nou. The plan included the addition of roughly 6,000 seats, for a maximum capacity of 105,000, at an estimated cost of €250 million.[47] The Barcelona board approved the sale of their former training ground (theMini Estadi) against significant opposition in order to finance the remodeling. The project was planned to begin in 2009 and to be finished for the 2011–12 season.[48] However, due to the 2008 financial crisis, the sale of the training ground was postponed, and likewise the remodeling project. In May 2010,Sandro Rosell, then a candidate for president of Barcelona, dismissed the possibility of selling the Mini Estadi, saying it would be indefensible to "sell the crown jewels", and his election on 30 June 2010 effectively halted the plan to remodel the Camp Nou.[49][50]
In January 2014, Barcelona's board of directors rejected the option of building a new stadium due to financial constraints, and instead opted to remodel the Camp Nou to bring the capacity up to 105,000.[51] The project was expected to run from 2017 to early 2021, with a cost of around €600million (£495 million), making it one of the most expensive expansions on a per-seat basis.[52][53] A refined plan was released in May 2015 showing plans to add a canopy over the stands and showing the plans for seating expansion in greater detail.[54] Construction was planned in 2019 to begin in summer 2020 and to be completed in 2024.[55]
On 28 April 2022, the club confirmed that renovations would begin after the2022–23 season.[56] Renovation work on the stadium began on 1 June 2023.[57] At that time, Barcelona presidentJoan Laporta stated that the club expected to return by December 2024, when most of the work will be done.[13] Final completion of all renovations is scheduled for June 2026.[12] While the renovations are ongoing, Barcelona is playing home matches atEstadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuïc. In September 2025, Barcelona announced their return scheduled for late 2025, albeit at a reduced capacity.[12][13][58]
On 7 November 2025, the club staged an open training session in front of 21,795 fans.[59]
On 17 November 2025, Barcelona confirmed that it would return to the stadium for its league fixture againstAthletic Bilbao on 22 November with a capacity of 45,401 attendees.[60]
On 22 November they finally returned and won 4–0 againstAthletic Bilbao, however the third tier of the stadium was closed due to ongoing constructions. Camp Nou is now expected to be completed in 2027, this is one year later than originally scheduled.[61]
The renovation work is undertaken by Turkey-basedLimak Holding as the main contractor.[62][63]
Camp Nou has been used for various purposes other than football, often hosting major concerts. Some notable high-profile appearances include:
PopeJohn Paul II celebratedMass for a congregation of over 121,500 at the Camp Nou on 17 November 1982, on the occasion of being made an honorary citizen of Barcelona.[64]
Julio Iglesias appeared in concert here on 5 September 1983 and on 8 September 1988.
U2 performed at the stadium three times: the first one was on 7 August 2005 during theirVertigo Tour, in front of a sold-out crowd of 81,269 people. The second and the third were on 30 June and 2 July 2009 during theirU2 360° Tour, in front of a total crowd of 182,055 people. The encore performance of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" from the second 2009 show was filmed for the music video of the single.
On 4 November 2014,Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), which operates France's professional rugby union leagues, announced that the2015–16Top 14 final would be held at the Camp Nou on 24 June 2016.[66] The Top 14 final is traditionally held at theStade de France in theParis suburb ofSaint-Denis. However, the scheduling of the2015 Rugby World Cup caused the 2015–16 French season to be shifted by several weeks, in turn causing the Stade de France to be unavailable because it would be a major venue forUEFA Euro 2016.[67] The match ultimately drew a crowd of 99,124, setting a new record for attendance at a domestic rugby union match.[68]
On 18 May 2019, the firstSuper League game in Spain was hosted at the Camp Nou. TheCatalans Dragons defeated theWigan Warriors 33–16. This match set the Super League attendance record for a non-Magic Weekend, regular season fixture, attracting 31,555 fans.
In 2022, Barcelona had the largest known attendances for women's football since the1971 Women's World Cup final,[69][70]Mexico–Denmark (110,000), at theAzteca Stadium.[71][72] Real Madrid and Wolfsburg were the visiting teams at Camp Nou in the Women's Champions League (91,553 and 91,648).[70][71]
On 24 and 26 March 2023, the Camp Nou would host the inauguralKings League Final Four. Kings League is a uniqueseven-a-side football format with quirks such as secret weapons and tie-breaker penalty shootouts. The event would generate controversy for forcing thewomen's Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid's women's teams to be played at theJohan Cruyff Stadium.[73][74][75]
The stadium is accessible from theBarcelona Metro with the closest stations to the Camp Nou arePalau Reial,Maria Cristina andLes Corts, onL3;Badal onL5 andCollblanc on L5 orL9.[76] All are 500 to 1,000 metres (0.31 to 0.62 miles) from Camp Nou, depending on which of the gates (accesses) to Camp Nou are used. Usually metro services are increased when there is a match, which causes significant passenger congestion.
Approximately 680 metres (0.42 miles) from the Camp Nou there is theTrambaix Avinguda de Xile station (lines T1, T2 and T3).
The Camp Nou is also served by severalTMB bus routes, anAMB line, and four Nitbus services. Apart from regular routes, there are two special lines toMossèn Jacint Verdaguer Square and toCatalonia Square on days with matches.
The stadium is located 13.7 kilometres (8.5 mi) from theEl Prat International Airport. It is connected by L9 from the airport directly toCollblanc, which is a short walk from the stadium.
