Tips to attend a FC Barcelona match

Barcelona Football

You are probably looking for some tips to attend a FC Barcelona match. You are about to go to one of the biggest stadiums in the world.

And once there, you expect to enjoy the magic of FC Barcelona top stars. All this surrounded, of course, by thousands of fans around. That’s right. This is the kind of unforgettable experience that Camp Nou offers.

I always recommend to do the Camp Nou Experience before your match. But not on the day the match takes place as the tour isn’t open then. That way you’ll know be more familiar with the area and the stadium itself. And you’ll have time to go to the store and get you FC Barcelona shirt.
Oh! The Camp Nou Experience is included in the Barcelona Pass!

But wait! Take a couple of minutes before hurrying off and putting on your Barça shirt, and continue reading…

Below you can find my tips to make the most of the day at the stadium watching one of the best football teams in the world.

Advice to buy your FC Barcelona tickets

Check the official calendar of matches and verify that FC Barcelona play at home. As in any other sport event, Fútbol Club Barcelona’s name comes first (e.g. FC Barcelona – Valencia FC). The other way round means Barça play away.
The final date and time of the match are confirmed only a few days before.
A match takes place on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday generally. It’s rare but matches can sometimes take place on weekdays if the calendar is tight due to other official competitions (Copa del Rey, Eurocup, Word Cup, or other events).
Ticket prices vary according to several factors: the importance of the rival, the seat location, the day of the week the match takes place, and the competition (Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League or Europa League).
With all these variables in mind, you shouldn’t expect to buy your FC Barcelona tickets months or even weeks in advance. Unfortunately, because of the calendar’s uncertainty you will only be able to purchase your tickets a few days in advance.
Nevertheless, FC Barcelona and Espanyol never play at home the same week. In other words, there is a football match every single week in the city. Hence if you don’t mind to attend a match of either club, you always have a chance to get tickets.
On the ticket, ‘Puerta’ is the door number that you enter, ‘Fila’ is the row, and ‘Número’ is the seat number.

If you have your tickets already, remember to put them on your mobile phone if you can, as this will avoid messing around with paper tickets and risking losing them.

Get now your FC Barcelona tickets online »

How to get to the Camp Nou

The Camp Nou stadium is relatively close to the city center compared to other major cities.

As a rule of thumb,

If you already have your tickets, always plan to arrive at the stadium approximately half an hour before the start of the game. That way you will prevent any last-minute stress to find your seat.
If you need to pick your tickets up at the stadium, make sure to get to the Camp Nou much earlier – an hour at least.

Unfortunately, getting there can be a little tricky.

My preferred option is always the Metro (subway). You can take either Line 3 (get off at Les Corts station for gates 17 to 21 or Palau Reial station for gates 1 to 11), or Line 5 (get off at Collblanc or Badal station for gates 2 to 17). Remember that the metro closes at midnight from Monday to Thursday.
You can also take the bus, the lines that will take you there are lines 7, 15, 43, 67, 8, 74, 75, L12, L50, L60 and L62.

And please, refrain from trying to catch a cab, it will be nearly impossible. On top of it, traffic on a match day around the stadium will be a nightmare.

What to bring to the stadium

First and foremost, your FC Barcelona shirt! And, obviously, all the other accessories from the club that you may have purchased before the match.

As you can imagine, photos and videos are allowed. So you can use your smartphone, or even better your camera since the action will be a bit far.

You can also take food and drink with you, but make sure that the latter is be non-alcoholic, uncovered (no cap!) and less than 500ml. There are no lockers or any other storage facility at the entrance so you will be forced to throw away any forbidden items before entering the stadium.

And one final piece of advice. Leave your valuables at your accommodation, some 100,000 people gather on a match day and this is the perfect scenario for pickpockets. Take only what you need and you will be able to enjoy the experience without any stress.

Buying a shirt and other gifts

As I was saying at the beginning of the article, one of the advantages of booking the the Camp Nou Experience in advance is that you can end going to the official FC Barcelona store at the Camp Nou. It spans over three floors so it’s huge! And, as you can imagine, there you can find anything related to the club.

So if you want to buy an official FC Barcelona shirt and wear it during the game, the best option is to purchase it there in advance. That way you’ll make sure it fits you perfectly!

Would you like to see the players?

Well, I won’t lie to you. Meeting the players on game day is tough.

However, if you are really keen to try and see them enter the stadium, you could try waiting on Avinguda Joan XXIII around two hours before the match actually starts. But you may wait for nothing, players arrive on their own by car, so the chances of them stopping are very little.
Alternatively, you could wait outside the Joan Gamper Ciutat Esportiva, where the training facilities are. Situated in Sant Joan Despí (outside Barcelona) you could try and go there on a training day. That said, training schedules are only known only 2 or 3 days in advance! Make sure you arrive at least a couple of hours before training begins. Once there, pick one of the four entrance doors. Players could enter through any one of them, so it’s up to chance whether or not they pass by where you are standing!

Do you need more information on Barcelona?

This article is part of a complete guide about Barcelona where you can read all the information you need to plan your trip to this popular destination in Spain.

Here is a complete summary of all the guide:

1. When to visit Barcelona
2. How many days to spend in Barcelona
3. How to get to Barcelona
4. How to move around Barcelona
5. Barcelona hotels: where to stay in Barcelona
6. What to eat in Barcelona
7. What to do in Barcelona
8. Tips to visit the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
9. How to buy tickets to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
10. Tips to attend a FC Barcelona match
11. How to buy FC Barcelona tickets
12. Day trips from Barcelona

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