Barcelona to vacate Nou Camp again as £437m renovation targets 2029 Champions League final

Barcelona will move out of the Nou Camp for a second time as the club pushes ahead with a further £437 million phase of renovation work on the stadium, which has been awarded the 2029 UEFA Champions League final.

Treasurer Ferran Olive confirmed the plan at the club’s AGM: Barcelona intend to see out the current season at the Nou Camp before relocating to the Olympic Stadium — the venue that hosted the 1992 Games and has already served as a temporary home during earlier construction — at the start of next season. The club expects to return to the Nou Camp in January 2028, midway through the 2027-28 campaign.

The stadium is currently operating at a reduced capacity of 62,000 due to the closure of the third tier. Once that section reopens, capacity will rise to 75,000, with the fully completed ground — including a new roof — eventually holding 105,000 supporters.

The renovation project began in 2023 but has been repeatedly delayed, pushing back completion dates and adding financial strain to a club already navigating well-documented economic difficulties. Previous signings have faced uncertainty over registration as Barcelona work to satisfy financial fair play requirements.

Despite those pressures, the club remains confident the completed stadium will deliver an immediate commercial uplift. Barcelona project a notable increase in income from “additional stadium-related revenue, including ticketing, VIP hospitality, the museum and other associated activities with the team’s return to Camp Nou.”

The 2029 final will mark the first time the Champions League showpiece has been staged in Barcelona in three decades. The last final held there was the 1999 edition, when Manchester United completed their famous stoppage-time comeback against Bayern Munich.