September 29: Barcelona are once again trying to increase their commercial income by launching long-term VIP seat licenses for premium seats at the newly renovated Spotify Camp Nou.
In what many believe is the continued Americanization of European football, Barça are willing to make 2,000 seat licenses available through Legends Global for a fantastic price of between €200,000 and €210,000. This amounts to around 22,000 euros per year, with licenses available for between 15 and 30 years.
It follows a first phase that locked in more than €380 million from 5,000 seats, with suites and box options now fully sold out.
At the end of 2024, Barcelona sold licenses for 475 VIP seats to two investors from the Middle East for €100 million, before the construction of these seats.
The activation of this financial lever allowed the club to register Dani Olmo, at least until a new LaLiga auditor refused to count the money for the seats in which no one could sit.
The league cut the club’s salary cap, the two sides traded statements and Barca ended up installing VIP seats at Johan Cruyff just to prove they existed. Finally, the auditor accepted 70 million euros.
This time it’s four times more seats and a good hospitality partner.
Barcelona needs the money to fuel its various projects. Espai Barça, which finances the Camp Nou renovations, now costs €1.8 billion after a further €510 million was approved, triple the 2014 estimate.
The year 2029 has been set as the final competition date for the facility. The Camp Nou is approaching 105,000, the Johan Cruyff Stadium is finished and the new Palau Blaugrana and the Barça Campus are yet to arrive.
Before the works are finished, Barcelona will have to leave again. They will open 2027/28 at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium before a return scheduled for January 2028. The Camp Nou has a limit of 62,000 at the moment.