Barcelona stadium is the new Old Trafford despite £1.3bn renovation as press box drenched after biblical downpour

The press boss at Barcelona’s newly renovated Nou Camp was drenched by torrential rain during their recent Champions League win.

Barca kicked off their European campaign with an emphatic 5-1 win over Feyenoord in their first league phase game on Wednesday.

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A Raphinha double sandwiched between goals from Karim Adeyemi and Lamine Yamal put Hansi Flick‘s side in cruise control, before new signing Gabriel Jesus opened his Barcelona account late on.

Camp Nou issues laid bare

Barca stormed to victory on a rainy night at the Camp Nou, and some inside the ground ended up even more soaked than the players.

With torrential rain striking in Catalonia, footage shared online has shown the stadium’s press box being drenched by the conditions.

Barcelona’s iconic home has been in the process of a £1.3billion renovation project since 2023, with Barca only returning to play at the stadium in November 2025 after two years away.

However, certain parts of the venue are still being refurbished, as journalists inside the ground discovered on Wednesday night.

One video has been shared on social media showing a stream of water falling through an opening onto the press box. 

Rain is seen pouring down onto the reporters’ desk, with water lashing off the table and flooding the surface.

One journalist is shown retrieving an item from the puddle of water on the table, with the conditions making it impossible for journalists to work on their laptops.

Scaffolding can be seen in the press box, making it likely that reconstruction work is ongoing in this part of the Camp Nou.

Barcelona’s home ground isn’t the only venue to succumb to the elements.

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In recent years, Manchester United‘s Old Trafford home has experienced similar problems, with fans being drenched on more than one occasion as the stadium roof failed to contain the rain.

Is the Camp Nou renovation complete?

The recent Camp Nou footage comes after Barcelona reportedly ran out of money during their £1.3billion stadium renovation.

Work on the venue began after the 2022/23 season, with the Catalan giants eventually returning in November last year.

They played at the 55,000-seater Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill during most of the construction.

But significant work is still required as the club plans to increase the Nou Camp’s capacity to an incredible 105,000.

Heavy construction is ongoing on the stadium’s upper tier, with Barcelona currently only able to play in front of a reduced 62,000 capacity.

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Additionally, the final stage is the refurbishment of the roof, with venue’s shortcomings in this area plain to see in Barca’s last match.

The La Liga champions have requested to use the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys as a temporary home for the 2027/28 campaign.