Nou Camp redevelopment: Barcelona plan £500m upgrade of stadium

Club plan to expand the capacity to 105,000

(FC Barcelona)

Barcelona have unveiled plans to expand the Nou Camp and take the capacity over 100,000 seats.

Already the largest stadium in Europe, Barcelona plan to upgrade the 59-year-old stadium over four years, taking the capacity to 105,000.

The £500million plan, expected to be completed in time for the 2021-22 season, will also see a roof added around the stadium and aesthetic upgrades to the concourses and surrounding area.


 The concourses around the stadium
 (FC Barcelona)

Japanese architects Nikken Sekkei will complete the work alongside Catalan firm Pascual i Ausio Arquitectes.

The firms were selected ahead of six other bids by a jury made up of club members, local architechts and officials from the city.

Barcelona are also expected to sell naming rights to help fund the huge project.

"The Nikken Sekkei + Pascual i Ausio Arquitectes proposal stands out for being open, elegant, serene, timeless Mediterranean and democratic," read a statement on the club website.

"It is also notable for its relationship with the environment, providing depth, creating shadows and making members the stars of the facade and of the open area at all times.

"The proposal presents a very subtle attempt to intervene in the environment to facilitate circulation and achieve diverse urban usage in the Barca Campus and guarantees a clear and safe construction.

"In short, it is a unique solution, reproducing the characteristic vision of the grandstand and canopy, from the inside out, a silent and powerful tribute to the stadium built by Francesc Mitjans in 1957."