El Clasico: Match set to break women's crowd record - but is it a one off?

When Atletico de Madrid broke the 99-year-old attendance record for a club game in women's football in 2019, the future seemed bright.

Some 60,739 people watched from the stands that day as Barcelona beat the hosts 2-0 in what felt like a turning point for women's football in Spain. But a year later, the pandemic hit and the growth came to a halt.

This week, Barcelona have a chance to break that record again in what will be the most important women's El Clasico to date.

While this won't be Barcelona's debut at the club's iconic Nou Camp, Europe's largest stadium, it certainly feels like a first.

Barcelona's 5-0 victory against Espanyol there in January 2021 was greeted by silence as Covid restrictions meant the game was played out in an empty stadium.

Contrast this with Wednesday's match, when they will host their biggest rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final — which they lead 3-1 — in front of an anticipated crowd of 90,000.

In a year in which Barca's men's team have struggled to find their pace and identity, the success of the women's side has made fans proud and spiked interest.

For Barcelona supporters, the Nou Camp game marks a real milestone for the team.

«These stadiums are the symbols, the icons of these clubs,» explains Lorena Lopez, who has been following Barcelona's women's team since 2018 and travelled to Budapest to watch the team win the Champions League final last season.

«Giving the women a chance to play at these stadiums makes these matches special and helps the sport progress because it attracts more supporters to the women's game.»

Lopez's thoughts are echoed by Natalia Robles, who will be attending the game as a neutral.

«It's great for exposure,» she says.