• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Funding, Stadium Issues Cloud Barcelona’s New Season

  • Camp Nou is closed this season as it undergoes major renovations.
  • Barcelona is struggling to secure funding for several of its new key signings.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Barcelona enters the 2023-24 soccer season with perhaps more questions than any other club around the world — especially financial ones.

The club is defending yet another La Liga title but has continued to struggle to secure much-needed revenue, an ongoing issue that contributed to Lionel Messi’s departure in 2021. Recently, Barcelona’s debt was well over $1 billion.

Now, ahead of its opening La Liga match on Sunday, Barcelona hasn’t registered several top signings due to a lack of sufficient funding.

Uncertainty has surrounded a unique deal to sell equity in the club’s Barca Studios. It’s an effort to bring in cash — as much as $65 million at a time — in large part to pay large player salaries. It’s currently unclear how many Barcelona players will have officially signed and will be ready to play this weekend.

Next weekend, Barcelona will play its home opener — but not at the storied Camp Nou, which is closed at least until late 2024 while undergoing renovations as part of a $1.6 billion development project. 

For the immediate future, Barcelona will play home matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. That venue, originally built in 1927 and renovated for the 1992 Olympics, has a capacity of 56,000 — about 40% less than the nearly 100,000 regularly packed into Camp Nou.

Barcelona has also been fielding lucrative transfer offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia to help bolster the club’s bottom line.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Colleges Are Raising Student Fees to Pay for Athlete Revenue-Sharing

Schools are preparing to pay student athletes up to $20.5 million annually.

Thunder Win NBA Finals Behind Young, Deep, and Cheap Roster

The Thunder’s young and cheap roster won its first title Sunday.

WNBA Players Drop Fresh Statement in CBA Fight: ‘We Want a Fair..

The WNBA All-Star Game is less than four weeks away.

Featured Today

Mar 15, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) dribbles the ball upcourt against the North Texas Mean Green during the first half at Dickies Arena

NIL Is Shrinking the Pool of NBA Draft Entrants

Agents are now advising many players to stay in school.
Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter on the red carpet before the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field
June 21, 2025

‘More Is More’: The Elite Luxury Jewelers Decking Out Athletes

Meet the elite group of luxury designers crafting the biggest statement pieces.
Dec 5, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the Club Word Cup draw at Telemundo Studios.
June 15, 2025

Revamped Club World Cup Is FIFA’s Billion-Dollar Gamble

The revamped soccer event debuts amid controversy.
Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park
June 14, 2025

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.
Jun 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; SL Benfica forward Evangelos Pavlidis (14) in action with Auckland City FC defender Christian Gray (4) during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Inter&Co Stadium.

Day Jobs, Weekly Stipends: Behind the Club World Cup’s Only Amateur Team

“We’ve never been in this for the financial reward.”
June 22, 2025

Kevin Durant Traded to Houston in Blockbuster Deal

Houston was one of Durant’s preferred destinations.
June 22, 2025

Pacers Lose Haliburton in NBA Finals—and Possibly for a Season

Haliburton entered the game with a right calf strain he played Game 6 with.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
June 20, 2025

How Mark Walter’s Dodgers Playbook Could Rewrite Lakers’ Future

The owner’s tenure with the MLB club has been lined with success.
May 20, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; A reserved parking sign for ÒMr. Big TimeÓ located in Lot B before the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
June 20, 2025

Dodgers, DHS At Odds Over Presence of Federal Agents in Parking Lots

The Dodgers and DHS have conflicting reports about what exactly happened.
June 20, 2025

Summer Soccer Fatigue? USMNT, Messi’s Inter Miami Draw Sparse Crowds

Neither team could sell out matches Thursday night.
Jun 13, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drives to the hoop past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8), guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Chet Holmgren (7) during the third quarter of game four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
June 18, 2025

Pacers, Fever Overwhelmed by Demand for Merch

“We have people waiting to get in the store at 10 in the morning.”