The Camp Nou reconstruction project began in June 2023. Since then, Barcelona have played their home games at the Olimpic Lluis Companys. From the start, the Blaugrana board set a completion date of no later than November 29, 2024. That would be the 125th anniversary of the club's founding.
To race against time, Barca has been granted permission by the local government to work 24/7. Although this will greatly affect the surrounding residents, the club has temporarily accepted it and will have a plan to apologize to the fans later. The most important thing is whether the project will be completed on time or not, this is something that even President Joan Laporta cannot predict.
"We don't want to announce the official end date of the project yet because it could happen before or after the anniversary. Rest assured, when it's done, come visit and enjoy.
"Although there are many obstacles, everyone can rest assured that we will try to return as soon as possible. That is the motivation to help everyone try together" - President Joan Laporta shared in a press conference after the summer transfer market ended.
Initially, Barcelona had the idea of returning to Camp Nou on time, regardless of whether it was 100% completed or not. The club was even willing to accept improvements as they were made. However, when surveying the surrounding construction site, Barca leaders found this was not feasible because everything was too messy.
A Barca spokesperson told The Athletic that the Camp Nou stadium will have a more modern interior design than the exterior, making it a very complex project.
Ana Ramon - a resident living near the stadium and also the head of the Camp Nou neighborhood shared that local people also do not feel that Camp Nou will be finished soon.
"They told us the stadium would reopen in December but they couldn't guarantee the safety of the entrances. We accepted that the construction would be done overnight. They need to respect that," Ramon said.
Initially, construction continued at night, but it became too much of a nuisance for those living nearby. The police were called several times and construction was at one point halted by 10pm each day. After the club reached an agreement with the residents, construction was allowed to continue 24/7, as long as it was not too noisy and did not cause light pollution.
To ensure harmony, the project will carry out heavy items from 8am to 8pm every day. Less noisy jobs such as wiring, electrical installation, etc. will be carried out overnight.
Barcelona are in a hurry. According to statistics from last year, hosting the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium will cost the club around 90 million Euros. This includes the lost revenue compared to hosting the Camp Nou and the costs of hosting each match.
Meanwhile, the cost of the project to rebuild Barca's stadiums (called Espai Barca) will cost around 900 million for the entire Camp Nou stadium. This amount could even reach 1.5 billion Euros if the secondary stadiums and other infrastructure are taken into account.
Barca have about 3 months left until the scheduled completion date. Otherwise, they will be forced to postpone the plan until early 2025. If they make it, the match against Valencia on January 26, 2025 will be the first time the "Catalan Giant" will play at the upgraded home ground.
