Magazine - The Nou Camp (Camp Nou) in Barcelona.

By Rob Jenkins in World Stadiums on 5th Mar 2010 13:00

Our next trip around the stadiums of the world takes us to one of the most famous, the Nou Camp. Home to the mighty FC Barcelona and with a capacity of over 98,000, it's a true great of world stadia.

Currently ranked just outside the top 10 largest stadiums for capacity in the world, the Camp Nou which translates in English as  "new field,"  is a football stadium situated in the beautiful city of Barcelona in Spain.

The stadium is the home to one of the giants in football FC Barcelona and was constructed in 1957. FC Barcelona are known around the world and are one are one of the biggest clubs going with a huge supporter base. The club had outgrown its old stadium the Camp de Les Corts which held 60,000 supporters. The Camp Nou was built in only three years by architects Francesc Mitjans-Miró, Lorenzo García Barbon and Josep Soteras Mauri.

Its capacity of 98,787 makes it the largest stadium in Europe. The Nou Camp has only been the official name of the famous stadium for the last ten years, before 20000 it's official name was Estadi del FC Barcelona. The stadium has also been used to host Olympic soccer matches and various European finals including the champions league final in 1999 and of course World Cup games.

The stadium capacity has varied, opening at 106,146, but growing to 121,749 for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. With the outlawing of standing sections at the stadium in the late 1990s, its capacity settled to just below 99,000.

The future is bright for this jewel of the stadia world, it was recently announced to celebrate its 50th anniversary a upgrade to the stadium would begin in 2011. FC Barcelona seeks to increase the seating capacity by 13,500 seats, making it the world's largest football stadium. The plan also accommodated a minimum of 50% of seats to be under cover. British architect Norman Foster and his company were selected to "restructure" the Camp Nou. The plans are estimated to cost €250 million.

The Camp Nou Stadium Facts:
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Built: 1957
Capacity: 98,800 all seats
Dimensions: 105 m × 72 m
Main Tenants: FC Barcelona

Read more articles in World Stadiums, by Rob Jenkins or from March 2010.