Camp Nou
The new field that grew from a dream of expansion into Europe's largest stadium.
Camp Nou (Catalan: [ˈkam ˈnɔw], meaning 'New Field'), officially Spotify Camp Nou for sponsorship reasons, and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increased seating capacity of 105,000 it will retain its position as the largest stadium in terms of seating capacity in Spain and Europe, as well as the second largest association football stadium, while becoming the fifth-largest overall stadium in the world.
- Location
- Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Inauguration Year
- 1957
- Primary Use
- FC Barcelona Home Matches
- Significance
- Largest stadium in Europe by capacity
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
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. The June 1950 signing of László Kubala, regarded as one of Barcelona's greatest players, provided further impetus to the construction of a larger stadium. On 14 November 1950, president Agustí Montal i Galobart obtained agreement to acquire land, and the first stone was laid on 28 March 1954. The project was completed one year later, with costs reaching 288 million pesetas—more than four times higher than expected. Finally, on 24 September 1957, the feast of La Mercè, the Camp Nou was inaugurated with a solemn mass, and some 90,000 people attended. The stadium was inspired by De Kuip, home of Feyenoord, built in 1937, featuring oval rings around the pitch. The stadium's capacity has varied greatly, opening at 106,146 and growing to 121,401 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Barcelona's record attendance was set on 5 March 1986 in the European Cup quarter-final against Juventus in front of 120,000 spectators.
In Their Own Story
On 24 September 1957, the feast of La Mercè, a solemn mass presided over by the archbishop of Barcelona, Gregorio Modrego, 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. 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. The Camp Nou hosted the opening match of the 1982 FIFA World Cup on 13 June, where in front of 95,000, Belgium upset the defending champions Argentina 1–0. It also hosted the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, where Bayern led early through Mario Basler's goal in the sixth minute, but United came back to win with injury time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. On 1 October 2017, Barcelona's league match against Las Palmas was played in an empty Camp Nou due to political turmoil in the region.
Reader's Guide
Camp Nou has hosted two European Cup/Champions League finals in 1989 and 1999, two European Cup Winners' Cup finals, four Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final games, five UEFA Super Cup games, four Copa del Rey finals, two Copa de la Liga finals, and twenty-one Supercopa de España finals. It also hosted five matches in the 1982 FIFA World Cup (including the opening game), half of the four matches at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, and the football tournament's final at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Renovation of the stadium commenced after the end of the 2022–2023 season. Final completion of all renovations is scheduled for June 2026, although the stadium reopened in November 2025 at a reduced capacity. During the renovation, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys served as Barcelona's home ground for both the 2023–24 season and 2024–25 season; the club played its first two league home matches in the 2025–26 season at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
Did You Know?
- The stadium's official name was actually 'Estadi del Barcelona' from its completion until the 2000–01 season, when club members voted to officially rename it to its popular nickname Camp Nou.
- Barcelona's record attendance was set on 5 March 1986 in the European Cup quarter-final against Juventus in front of 120,000 spectators.
- The Camp Nou houses the second-most visited museum in Catalonia, the Barcelona Museum, which receives more than 1.2 million visitors per year.
- In 2022, music streaming service Spotify reached a deal with Barcelona to acquire the naming rights to the stadium for four years in a deal worth $310 million, rebranding it as Spotify Camp Nou in July 2022.
- The stadium was inspired by De Kuip, home of Feyenoord, which was built in 1937, and featured oval rings around the pitch, resulting in continuous stands without open corners.