Goodbye Camp Nou - see you rewamped in a few years

Newly crowned champions of La Liga will have to leave their castle for a couple of years. Due to the much anticipated Camp Nou renovation, Barcelona will throw a sort of a see-you-soon party to their beloved stadium - the iconic venue will be modernised and expanded to a capacity of 105,000. There will also be an emotional send-off for club stalwarts Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who are moving on this summer.

Catalan revolution and mild fear of consequences

The Catalan giants host Mallorca on Sunday, which will see a farewell party at the Nou Camp. All fans are being encouraged to don the club’s famous colours as a poignant mosaic is planned ahead of kick-off.

As part of an extensive revamp, Barca will not be able to play at the legendary ground next season. The 900 million euros redevelopment will see more VIP seats added, with the overall capacity increasing to a massive 105,000.

For next season, the club will play at the city’s Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium which hosted the athletics at the 1992 Olympics Games and was previously home of Espanyol before they moved to a new stadium.

The temporary home has a much smaller capacity of 55,000, meaning disappointment for thousands of fans for El Clasico and big European nights. While the revamp will not be fully completed until the 2026/27 season, Barca do intend to return to the Nou Camp in time for the 2024/25 campaign, albeit with a reduced capacity of 50%.

On Sunday, the players will wear a special shirt with the words ‘Ple d’història. Ple de futur’ (Full of history, full of future') and the years 1957 to 2023, along with an image of the stadium.

There are also big plans for after the game with a traditional sardana dance around the centre circle by local dance groups, all to the tune of a special variation of the Barca anthem.

A club statement said: “Following an emotional final song, the celebrations will end the way all the best things in Catalonia end with a spectacular firework display.”