Everything you need to know about the FC Barcelona v Real Madrid game at Camp Nou in the UEFA women's Champions League

Wednesday at 6.45pm CEST brings a very special game at Camp Nou. It’s a Clásico with a difference between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, because its being played by women in the quarter final of the UWCL. A capacity crowd is expected. 

Here’s a lowdown on the big facts and stats:

Head start

Barça go into the game with everything in their hands after winning 3-1 in the first leg at Valdebebas. Real scored first, but Alexia (2) and Claudia Pina turned things around to ensure a two-goal head start on Wednesday.

Record crowd?

The defending European champions are hoping to set an attendance record with this game. The first tickets sold out two months before the date, The fans have responded amazingly, with the first tickets selling out two months ahead of the game. Members were given 24 hours to book up to four free seats each, only paying the handling fee. After that period, non-members could also buy tickets for prices ranging from 9 to 15 euros.

The remaining 6,000 tickets to see the women’s Clásico went on sale on March 17, and the last ones are still available for any fans who want to be there for the big occasion.

Special welcome

The club is encouraging fans to give the players a very special welcome to the Camp Nou.

At 5.00pm the team will be entering the ground via Access 7, and fans are being asked to gather in that spot, where the first 500 people to arrive will also be handed free blaugrana flags to wave.

Mosaic

The first ever game for the Barça Women at Camp Nou with fans in the stadium is to have a mosaic that befits the occasion, just like on the great nights featuring the men’s team. The blend of blaugrana colours with the yellow and red of the Catalan flag will symbolise a call for gender equality in sport. The biggest stadium in Europe is set to fill for the game, and it sends out a clear message to aspiring young girls all around the world. You can do it too!

The words “More than Empowerment” will be emblazoned across the Lateral terrace, and the female symbol will appear behind the two goals, which follows on from the club’s imaginative idea on International Women’s Day to create the Venus symbol by adding a new line just beneath the centre circle. The blaugrana trim then continues all the way to the main grandstand, where it meets the four stripes of the Catalan senyera flag.

Charity events

March 30 will also be a charity event, whereby the club is calling on fans coming to the game to bring baby food to the various collection points around the ground to support children that have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.

In association with the Red Cross, there will be marquees open from 2pm to 7pm at Accesses 15, 9 and 1, where such products as powdered baby milk, powdered baby cereals, baby food, children’s snacks and biscuits and fruit juices will be gathered.

50 years of women’s football

This will be the second time that the treble winning women’s team have played in the stadium. In January 2021, they played the league derby against Espanyol at the Camp Nou to mark the 50^th anniversary of the first women’s game ever played at the venue, featuring a City of Barcelona Select team.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, that game had to be played behind closed doors. But this time the Camp Nou’s gates will be open and the aim is to attract the biggest possible crowd for such a vital game as a Champions League quarter final. 

Pre-game entertainment

The club is arranging a series of free activities outside the ground on the weekends building up to the big game on March 30.

On the weekend of March 26-27, there are games for adults and children, such as 3x3  basketball and futsal matches on specially fitted courts, and braver visitors can try out their skills in the skate park.

The idea is for friends and family to do something different with their weekends, while also enjoying the other catering and leisure facilities along Rambla del Barça, including Barça Café, which welcome visitors coming in through Access 9.

There will also be music, including freestyle rap contests featuring different women’s groups from around the city. Sunday brings a particularly special guest judge, NG, considered one of the finest rising talents on the current freestyle scene, who receives thousands of visitors to her YouTube ‘battles’.

There will also be guest DJs performing every Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 7pm.

Parking restrictions

Spectators will not be able to park their vehicles on the club grounds unless they have a parking pass for the current season. On this occasion, parking pass holders will not be able to park in their usual zone, and should follow instructions of club staff when parking their vehicles.

Bandana souvenir

The club has launched a souvenir bandana for all fans who come to see the game or watch on TV. A limited edition bandana is available online via the club’s usual e-commerce services and from the Barça Store at Camp Nou.