Camp Nou
Camp Nou is the largest football stadium in Europe and home to FC Barcelona. It has a capacity of 99,354 seats.
Camp Nou was built between 1954 and 1957, getting officially opened on the 24th of September 1957. The first match was played between FC Barcelona and a selection of players from the city of Warsaw. The stadium replaced Barcelona’s previous ground Campo de Les Corts, which though it could hold 48,000 supporters, was still too small for the growing number of fans. With the Camp Nou the number of fans that could attend a match almost doubled.
The stadium was initially called Estadi del FC Barcelona, but was soon called Camp Nou (New Stadium) by its fans. In 2001, after a referendum among its members, the club officially changed the name of the stadium to Camp Nou.
At the Euro 1964 Championships the stadium hosted the semi-final between the Soviet Union and Denmark (3-0), and the match for third place between Hungary and the same Denmark (3-1)
For the 1982 World Cup the stadium was expanded to a capacity of 120,000. At the World Cup the stadium hosted the opening match, three matches in the second group phase, and the semi-final between Italy and Poland (2-0). The capacity was reduced again in the late 90s due to the conversion of the stadium into an all-seater stadium.
In its history Camp Nou has hosted two Champions League finals: the first in 1989 between AC Milan and Steaua București (4-0), and the second in 1999 between Manchester United and FC Bayern (2-1).
Earlier the stadium had already hosted two Cup Winners’ Cup finals: the first in 1972 between Rangers FC and Dynamo Moscow (3-2), and the second in 1980 between Barcelona and Standard de Liège (2-1).
Getting there
Camp Nou is located almost 5 kilometres east of Barcelona’s city centre.
Arriving by car from the Ronda da Dalt, the motorway that runs along the western edge of Barcelona, take exit 11 and follow the Avenida Diagonal (B-23) toward the city. Keep right on the Avenida Diagonal (right of the tram tracks) and after almost two kilometres turn right onto the Calle de Sabino Arana (follow the FC Barcelona signs). Follow the curve to the left (don’t take the tunnel), and turn right onto the Gran Via de Carlos III. Follow for a few hundred metres and turn right onto the Travesía de las Cortes. After another few hundred metres you will see the stadium on your right.
Coming from the A-2 west take the B-23 into the city which will automatically flow into the Avenida Diagonal.
Various metro stations lie around the ground. Take line 3 from the city centre and get off at Les Corts (or Maria Christina or Palau Reial). It’s a 25-minute ride and 10-minute walk to the stadium. Alternatively take line 5 (which passes by the Sagrada Familia) and get off at either Badal or Collblanc. Again it’s a 10-minute walk to the stadium.
Camp Nou is also served by several bus routes. Check online for appropriate connections.
Address: Calle Arístides Mallol 12, 08028 Barcelona
Tickets
Tickets for FC Barcelona games can be bought online, by phone +34 93 496 36 00 (or 902 1899 00 from Spain), or at the club ticket office at the stadium. If tickets remain, these can be bought at the gates on the day of the match.
Barcelona averages attendances of around 70,000-80,000, which means that for many matches tickets will be available. Furthermore many Barcelona season ticket holders “free” their seat 48 hours before the game, so at times it may make sense to check availability again a few days before the match if the match had been previously sold out. Tickets for the games against Real Madrid can only be bought by Barcelona members.
Barcelona divides its home matches in 8 different categories, on which depends the price of the tickets. Most tickets fall into one of four A-D categories, but prices are higher for Real Madrid (A++), Espanyol, (A+), Atlético Madrid (A+), and certain Champions League matches. Prices are lower for early round Copa del Rey matches.
The cheapest tickets, for the most-upper ring, are €19.00 for category D matches and €55.00 for category A matches. Other tickets range from €29.00 to €77.00 for category D matches and €67.00 to €146.00 for category A matches.
Stadium tours
Barcelona offers self-guided stadium tours, called the Camp Nou experience, which include an audio guide and access to the Barcelona museum. Private guides are available against additional payment.
The Barcelona museum is opened Mondays to Saturdays from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm (between October 10th and April 3rd until 6:30 pm). Tours can be taken until 7:00 pm (or 5:30 pm in winter). On Sundays the museum opens until 2:30 pm and tours can be taken until 1:30 pm.
There are no tours on the day of a home Champions league match, and on other matchdays the tour closes 4 hours before the start of the match.
The tour costs €22.00, which includes the museum.
No reservations are required for groups of under 20 people, but they can still be made online. For more information call +34 93 496 36 00 (902 1899 00 from Spain) or email museu@fcbarcelona.cat.
Relevant Internet links:
FcBarcelona.es – Official website of FC Barcelona.
Barcelonaturisme.com – Official tourism promotion website for the city of Barcelona.
TMB.cat – Travel information and journey planner for Barcelona public transport.
