Correction: Previously this article stated that the Estadi Lluis Companys could hold 56,000 fans, which was the capacity before work took place in 2023 to ready it for Barcelona this season. It has been reduced to 49,472, as per Relevo.
Much was made last season of Barcelona bringing back some excitement for their fans, and along with the signings of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde came a title and the best attendance in Europe, sitting at over 83,000 in La Liga. However one of the concerns from a financial point of view this campaign has been the drop off in both capacity and attendance brought about by their move to Montjuic.
The Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys has a capacity of just under 49,472, but this season their average attendance in La Liga has been less than half of that of last campaign. Only 17,000 fans renewed their season tickets for this season, and the average sits at 41,257 so far.
In spite of their clash against Atletico Madrid being the headline clash of the weekend, just 34,568 fans turned up, their worst of the season. For Alaves several weeks ago, Montjuic had 38,183 fans present, their previous low, as pointed out by MD. Their figure against Atletico Madrid left 30% of seats empty.
No defending Barça's season-low attendance against Atlético on Sunday (34,568), & irrelevant in scheme of that, but seen suggestions Montjuic capacity anywhere from 55-60k. It's just over 50k (was a 50,112 'sell out' for clásico). Another issue is € of tickets, view etc
— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) December 4, 2023
The motives for this drop have been put down to multiple factors, including the mild logistic complications of getting to Montjuic, while the cold weather and the high ticket prices have also been signalled as potential causes.
Certainly for locals, tickets are too expensive for them to go to games regularly. The cheapest were €89, while the most expensive were sold for €219, and the match also finished at close to 23:00 CEST on a Sunday night, making the trip home difficult for many. Barcelona and Real Madrid have tried to push tickets for exorbitant prices that prevent fans from taking free seats unless they are wealthy or tourists. Elsewhere, prices are on the rise for any fans who are not season-ticket holders too.
