Why Barcelona won't be playing at their iconic Camp Nou stadium AT ALL next season for first time in over 60 years

• Camp Nou under renovations for 2023-24
• Barca will play home games in Montjuic
• First time away from iconic stadium since 1957

WHAT HAPPENED? That's after plans to renovate their iconic fortress - which were first revealed by president Joan Laporta back in April 2022 - were approved by the Barca board on Thursday. The Athletic notes that the Catalan club will receive up to to €1.5 billion (£1.3bn/$1.6bn) in funding from US investment firms Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan for their Espai Barca project, with an announcement on that deal imminent.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Barca have also reportedly informed both the City Council and UEFA of their decision to vacate Camp Nou for the upcoming season. It is the first time the Catalan club will play their home games away from the iconic 99,000-seater stadium since its opening in 1957, before which they enjoyed a 35-year stint at the old Camp de los Corts.

AND WHAT'S MORE: For 2023-24, though, Barca will call the Estadi Lluis Companys home, a 55,000-seater stadium located in Montjuic, the large hill southwest of the city of Barcelona, and which was the centrepiece of the 1992 Olympics. As for Camp Nou, the future renovations mark a significant period of change to the iconic stadium, after it was rebranded the "Spotify Camp Nou" ahead of the current campaign following the sponsorship agreement with the streaming giant.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCA? Xavi's side will aim to make their last season in Camp Nou in its current form a successful one, as they sit 12 points clear at the top of La Liga, with strugglers Elche their next opponents on Saturday.