Barcelona will move to the nearby Olympic Stadium for the 2023-24 campaign, the Catalan club have confirmed, with the Nou Camp set to undergo substantial renovations.
The Spanish giants announced the news on Thursday morning after the City's Governing Commission approved the remodeling of their 99,354-capacity stadium.
Renovations will begin in June, following the end of the football campaign, to its first and second tiers, though the Catalan side will continue to play at the Nou Camp next season, with the third tier set to be demolished next summer.
The Catalan club will return to the Nou Camp in the 2024-25 campaign, though at a reduced 50 pent capacity, with the renovations to be completed in full by the 2025-26 season.
Barcelona confirmed in March their iconic stadium will be renamed the 'Spotify Nou Camp' from next season, after securing a £237million sponsorship deal.
And on Thursday, speaking at the Barcelona City Hall, president Joan Laporta revealed the news of their £1.2billion renovation.
A statement from the club then read: 'Renovation work on the Camp Nou, the epicenter of the Espai Barça, will begin this June, just after the end of the sports season, and in accordance with the building permit approved this morning by the City Council's Government Commission.
'The work will focus on the first and second tier, in the technological field, in the environment of the Stadium, and in the urban development outside.
'Actions inside the Camp Nou will include the demolition of the additional structure of the south goal where the Medical Center was located, restoration works, anticarbonation and waterproofing of the stands, as well as structural finishes and the improvement and renovation of the retransmission systems.'
Barcelona, who have lost their last three home games, will for the first time since 1957 play away from the Nou Camp during the 2023-24 season, making the 60,000 capacity Olympic Stadium their temporary home.
Based in Montjuic in Barcelona, the Olympic Stadium, also known as the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, was the primary venue for the 1992 Olympic Games.
The stadium, which overlooks the coast, has hosted numerous matches for the Spanish national team over the years, as well as a number of Copa del Rey finals.
As part of the ‘Espai Barca’ project — looking to modernise their facilities in the city - Barcelona have promised the fans a 'safer stadium with better entrances' when they return.
Every single seat will be covered underneath a stadium roof, unlike the current version of the Nou Camp which is completely uncovered.
Barcelona will also create more facilities for supporters, including new VIP areas, while the seats inside the stadium - the fourth largest football arena in the world - will also be bigger after the plans are completed.
Barcelon had planned to demolish the third tier a year earlier, but have opted to push the start date back due to the 'uncertainties generated by the war in Ukraine'.
They also insist carrying out their initial scheduling would have seen the Nou Camp only 50 per cent full during the 2022-23 season.
The statement continued: 'In the face of the uncertainties generated by the war in Ukraine, especially with regard to rising material prices and their supply, it has been decided to impose a precautionary principle, minimizing risks and protect next season's revenue, but with the least possible impact on the works schedule.
'For this reason it has been decided to plan the demolition of the third tier for the summer of 2023, which will save time in the face of current price uncertainty, and ensure virtually total capacity of the Camp Nou next season, as the demolition meant having to compete in the 2022/23 season with a 50% reduction in capacity.'
Barcelona have confirmed that the renovations will at no stage exceed a cost of €1.5billion (£1.2b).
Belshem
66
Finally spoty camp-nou will be renovated after being destroyed by Frankfurt, Cadiz and Rayo respectively
JoyNg
24
The headline should be Frankfurt Training ground to be renovated😂😂😂