Barça to play in Montjuïc’s Olympic Stadium during 2023/24 season

Futbol Club Barcelona (FCB) will play in Montjuïc’s Olympic Stadium during the 2023/24 season. The team will rent the city council-owned infrastructure for one season while construction works take place at the Camp Nou stadium. 

"Today is a big day, we welcome FC Barcelona to the stadium," Barcelona deputy mayor Jaume Collboni said on Tuesday morning during a press conference outside the stadium. "There is no better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Olympic Games than with Futbol Club Barcelona," he added. 

"We only have thankful words," FCB president Joan Laporta said to journalists. "Thanks for allowing Barça to share Barcelona’s Olympic spirit. For the club, it is an honor, pride, and a privilege," he continued. 

Fans and football players will use the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc for the 2023/24 season. This publicly owned infrastructure was built for the 1992 Olympic Games, and in the recent past, it was the temporary home for Espanyol, the city’s other major football team. 

The club’s move to the stadium will coincide with the demolition of the third grandstand of the Camp Nou. The works were expected to start during the 2022/23 season, but the team decided to postpone them a year, citing the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine, price hikes, and the shortage of materials. 

With the postponement, the Camp Nou stadium will have almost its full capacity during the football season. The works will start in the summer of 2023, once the season is over. 

"We are discarding coming one season earlier because we would have to halve the number of attendees," Joan Laporta explained.

While the Camp Nou can host up to 99,354 people, the Estadi Lluís Companys stadium can only welcome 55,000 spectators. 

Ahead of the season, the club will refurbish some key elements such as "strengthening public transport," Laporta said. 

"FC Barcelona has agreed on refurbishing the Olympic facilities, but it is a refurbishment to improve the comfort of our club members. We will modernize several services and auxiliary facilities, such as the press stand, changing rooms, and the on-site parking area," the club president added.

But Laporta did point out that "these facilities are in very good conditions," already.

Some other transport links that will be reinforced include the funicular service, a direct bus from Plaça Espanya, the L9 metro, and the Estació de Sants train station. The club will also work with the ‘penyes’ (supporters’ clubs) that will come by bus to the "Barcelona’s iconic Olympic stadium," Laporta said.

Overall renting the site and accommodating it to their needs will have a cost of around €15 to €20 million for FCB. 

"We calculate or estimate that going to Montjuïc will cost Barça around €15m to €20m," Joan Laporta, FCB president, said during a press conference.

Changes will be minimal, deputy mayor Jaume Collboni announced. "The changes that will be made are minimum as it is already a site for big events. We are ready, the city’s staff (police, cleaners,...) have the experience in managing acts of this size," he said. 

In fact, while Barça plays in the Estadi Lluís Companys, the infrastructure will continue "to work and serve the city," the local official announced. The next big event scheduled is going to be an Iron Maiden music concert on July 29.

"I wonder if the president enjoys heavy metal," Collboni joked before Laporta confirmed, "he does live heavy metal."