Barcelona to return to Olympic Stadium next season as Camp Nou costs rise to €2 billion

Barcelona will return to the Olympic Stadium for several months next season after approving another €510 million ($585m) of financing to finish the Spotify Camp Nou redevelopment project.

Barça moved back to Camp Nou last November after two years at the Olympic Stadium, but they must move out again ahead of the start of the 2027-28 season to allow the roof to be put on the redeveloped Camp Nou.

Speaking at the club's AGM, treasurer Ferran Olivé confirmed the plan is for Barça to finish the current campaign at Camp Nou before beginning next season at the Olympic Stadium.

The Spanish champions then plan to return to Camp Nou in January 2028, for the second half of the 2027-28 season.

The capacity at Camp Nou is currently capped at 62,000, with only two of the three tiers open, although Olivé says it will increase to 75,000 before the end of the current campaign as the third tier gradually opens.

By the time Barça return to Camp Nou in 2028, the capacity will have risen to 95,000, finally hitting 105,000 ahead of the 2028-29 season, when the stadium should be completely finished.

UEFA announced last week that Barça's iconic home will host the Champions League final for the first time in 30 years in 2029, so there is little margin for further setbacks.

The stadium revamp, which began in 2023, is running with severe delays. The date for the work to be completely finished has been continually pushed back, which has hit the club financially.

As a result, Barça members had to approve a €510m ($585m) financing package over the weekend to "cover the economic impact caused by delays in the execution of the project," pushing the total cost up to almost €2 billion ($2.3b).

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"The operation is structured in two components," Barça announced in a statement.

"The first consists of €300m ($344m) which will enable the completion of Camp Nou, a project whose scope has expanded significantly beyond the original plans through the addition of new facilities, services, and technological solutions.

"The second component consists of €210m ($241m) to be raised through two Media Notes issuances of €105m ($120m) each. The first was issued in July 2026, while the second is scheduled for October or November 2026.

"Both issuances have maturities of up to 10 years, carry fixed interest rates, and are secured against future audiovisual revenues generated from La Liga and UEFA competitions."

Barça are reliant on finishing the project to help drive the club's revenue in the coming years.

They predict income will rise significantly thanks to "additional stadium-related revenue, including ticketing, VIP hospitality, the museum and other associated activities with the team's return to Camp Nou."