Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou: Where Football Meets Business

By: Chloe Agas | Jan 23, 2025

Introduction

The sounds of booms, cracks, and whistles of fireworks tingled the senses of more than 88,000 spectators at the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. 

On May 28, 2023, alongside its fans, FC Barcelona closed off a chapter as it bid farewell to the historical Spotify Camp Nou stadium. The closing ceremony also bidded goodbyes to first-team players midfielder Sergio Busquets and defender Jordi Alba. History and tradition made their prevalence through a presentation of six jerseys being brought onto the pitch to commemorate six decades of the stadium since its establishment in 1957. 

The same poem that was read and written by Josep Maria de Sagarra when the stadium opened was also recited for the final time before it closed its doors to begin a new chapter. 

A Brief History of Spotify Camp Nou

FC Barcelona formulated as a club in 1899. Before Camp Nou was built, the club’s players trained and played on different grounds until 1922, when it settled in its first home field, Les Corts.

As the club's popularity and engagement continued to increase, the field was renovated to expand its capacity for spectators. The result was a series of proposals for three expansion projects on the South Goal, North Goal, and the grandstands at Les Corts.

Barcelona’s fanbase grew, and it was time to build something more significant. The answer? Camp Nou. On September 24, 1957, the new Camp Nou stadium was opened to the public. Since then, FC Barcelona has won five Champions Leagues, five European Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, 31 Copa Del Rey’s, and 15 Spanish Super Cups.

Espai Barça

The decision to close the stadium in 2023 stemmed from a project that the new Spotify Camp Nou would reopen as a part of the club’s €1.5 billion Espai Barça renovation project. 

Espai Barça was established as a project to maintain the club's future viability and the governance model. 

The Espai Barça renovation project consists of plans to renovate and expand on different sectors, from the Spotify Camp Nou for football and the Palau Blaugrana for basketball in the Le Corts neighborhood to the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Sant Joan Despi.

The interior and exterior structures of the stadium will undergo renovation. Specifically, the project aims to upgrade the fan experience through technological innovations for Spotify Camp Nou.

Maintaining aspects of its Mediterranean architecture from its original architects, Francesc Mitjans, José Soteras, and Lorenzo García Barbón, the architecture is spearheaded by Nikken Sekkei, a Japanese architect who won the international architecture award in 2016.

A few of the renovations include new fan experiences in the player's zone, including VIP seats on the sidelines of the pitch. One of the stadium’s latest additions to its structure includes a roof atop the stadium,  made out of a tensile structure with cables. Measured at 48,000 m2, the high tech roof will become one of the most significant tensile structures in the world. 

To finance the project, FC Barcelona plans to use the income solely generated from the project itself to avoid utilizing the club's and members’ assets. The club is estimated to generate €247 million annually across five sectors. 

24% from hospitality and sponsorships, 22% from ticketing and catering, 15% from the museum, and 15% from events. The project's primary sponsors include Spotify, Ambilight TV and Nike, alongside five other stadium partners and four suppliers to support the project. 

By the time the stadium reopens between 2025 and 2026, the newly built stadium will be set to seat 105,000 spectators, with integration into the nearby neighborhoods and cultural city of Barcelona. 

The Next Chapter

As we continue to overlook the ongoing construction of the Spotify Camp Nou, the Espai Barça stadium project reflects on FC Barcelona's past, present, and future, from celebrating 125 years of history to integrating innovations and sustainability into its fan experience, blending tradition and modernity into a new era of football, community, and history for years to come.