Camp Nou a construction site as remodeling works get fully underway
Barça to move to Montjuïc's Olympic Stadium while refurbishment works ongoing
FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium is now officially a construction site.
Works are fully underway to remodel FC Barcelona's iconic stadium, with cranes and excavators already dismantling one of the main stands.
History books will read that the stadium, as we have known it, will have lived through its first iteration between 1957 and 2023, with a 'new' Camp Nou soon to be inaugurated, ushering in a new era for the Catalan giants.
The odd sight caught the attention of many locals and tourists who have stopped by to see how the works are getting on, many sure to be reminiscing about the countless breathtaking moments they experienced in the historic arena.
Many seats taken from various stands were also removed from their spot and gathered in a pile in the grounds just outside the stadium.
This will be a years-long construction job, meaning the blaugrana will have to play their home games elsewhere next season and for a period of the season after that. For 2023/24, they will play their games at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, most recently the site of many gigs from some of the biggest popstars in the world, such as Beyonce and Coldplay.
For the moment, the plan is to return to the remodeled Camp Nou in November 2024 at 50% capacity, while works continue on the final sections, forecast to be complete by around 2026.
Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia reported that the club needed two different types of licenses for the works: one to demolish the structure standing now, and two more to work on the foundations of the stadium and build the new Camp Nou on the structure of the old one.
Works on the entire job have already begun but Barça are yet to receive the final of the three necessary permits, although they are said to be working with the council to obtain it this summer.
Up to 3,000 workers could be involved in the building of the new stadium, but not all of them will be at the Camp Nou site: instead, many will be pre-making parts of the stadium that will arrive to Les Corts already made, just needing final assembly.