On Wednesday night, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 in front of 91,553 fans at the Camp Nou to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals.

Having led 3-1 from the first leg in Madrid, the Barcelona women’s team rode on the back of a highly partisan Camp Nou crowd to secure a deserved place in the next round of the competition.

The previous record attendance in women’s club football was set at the Wanda Metropolitano in 2019, when 60,739 people watched Barcelona defeat Atletico Madrid 2-0. 

In the Champions League, the previous record was 50,212, set in a game between Olympique Lyon and Frankfurt in Munich in 2012.

On Wednesday night, the number of fans at the Camp Nou also eclipsed the highest ever recorded in an international women’s match. There were 80,203 fans in Wembley when the U.S. defeated Japan in 2012 to claim Olympic gold.

Speaking after the game, reigning Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas said, “I dont have the words to describe it. It was super magical. The game ended, and the fans didn’t want to leave. It was incredible.”

For the first time that the Barcelona women’s team played in front of its fans, the Camp Nou had a mosaic on the seats saying ‘More than empowerment’. 

The team had previously played at Camp Nou, but there were no fans due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Barcelona women’s team usually plays games at the 6,000-seater Johan Cruyff stadium.