Barcelona will LEAVE Nou Camp and relocate to nearby stadium in Catalonia while iconic home undergoes £1.2bn makeover
BARCELONA have confirmed they will move to the nearby Olympic Stadium in Catalonia while the Nou Camp undergoes renovations.
Barca will spend the 2023-2024 campaign at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, which has a capacity of just over 60,000.
Their iconic home's £1.2billion makeover will begin this June.
The Blaugrana will continue to play at the Nou Camp next season while renovations take place in their first and second tiers - but their third tier will be demolished next summer and the stadium will be unusable for a year.
The Catalan giants will return to their 99,354-capacity stadium for the 2024-2025 campaign, though at a reduced 50 per cent capacity.
The remodelling is expected to be completed in full by the 2025-2026 season with an improved capacity of 105,000.
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Barcelona confirmed last month their iconic ground will be renamed the Spotify Nou Camp come next season, after securing a £237million sponsorship deal.
Club president Joan Laporta said at the Barcelona City Hall that the works will cost no more than £1.2bn.
A statement from Barcelona read: "Renovation work on the Camp Nou, the epicenter of the Espai Barca, will begin this June, just after the end of the sports season, and in accordance with the building permit approved this morning by the City Council's Government Commission.
"The work will focus on the first and second tier, in the technological field, in the environment of the Stadium, and in the urban development outside.
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"Actions inside the Camp Nou will include the demolition of the additional structure of the south goal where the Medical Center was located, restoration works, anticarbonation and waterproofing of the stands, as well as structural finishes and the improvement and renovation of the retransmission systems.
"In the face of the uncertainties generated by the war in Ukraine, especially with regard to rising material prices and their supply, it has been decided to impose a precautionary principle, minimizing risks and protect next season's revenue, but with the least possible impact on the works schedule.
"For this reason it has been decided to plan the demolition of the third tier for the summer of 2023, which will save time in the face of current price uncertainty, and ensure virtually total capacity of the Camp Nou next season, as the demolition meant having to compete in the 2022/23 season with a 50% reduction in capacity."