Cramped Nou: Why are Spanish giants Barcelona playing in a tiny stadium?

Barcelona's home game on Saturday will be played in front of a much smaller crowd than usual

When you think of some of the biggest football clubs in the world, you probably imagine the huge, impressive stadiums where they play their home matches.

However, fans of Spanish giants Barcelona got a bit of a shock this week.

Their stadium, Camp Nou, is the largest in Europe and can usually hold a whopping 100,000 fans.

But due to ongoing building work, they'll be playing their weekend match at a much smaller 6,000-seater stadium down the road!

What's happened with Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium?

It's not yet been announced when fans will be able to return to Camp Nou

Camp Nou has been FC Barcelona's home ground since it was built nearly seventy years ago.

Renovation work began in June 2023, after the 2022/2023 season finished, in order to modernise its structure and increase the capacity to 105,000 - making it one of the largest stadiums in the world.

The rebuild is thought to be costing the club an estimated £1.3 billion and is due to be fully completed in 2026.

However, Barcelona had hoped by now that they could at least partially reopen some of their stands, and play in front of a reduced crowd.

But as delayed building work continues, the club haven't been able to get hold of the right permits in time to allow their fans back into the stadium.

Camp Nou is one of the largest football stadiums in the world

As a result, Barcelona have announced they are using the Johan Cruyff stadium, where Barca's women's team regularly plays, to host opponents Valencia in their home league match on Sunday.

But fans who have been lucky enough to get a ticket are in for a tight squeeze - as the stadium holds 6,000 spectators.

That's around 16 and a half times less than that of Camp Nou.

In a statement, the club said it was working hard to get their main stadium back open as soon as possible.

"Barcelona thanks its members, fans, and supporters for their understanding and support during such a complex and exciting process as the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou," it explained.

A new date for the reopening of the Camp Nou has not yet been confirmed, although their next home fixture is due to take place against Getafe on 21 September.