Barcelona Plan Special Tribute Match for Lionel Messi at Full-Capacity Spotify Camp Nou Reopening in 2026/27
Barcelona are set to honor club legend Lionel Messi with a long-anticipated tribute match, coinciding with the official reopening of the fully renovated Spotify Camp Nou during the 2026/27 season.
According to the club’s redevelopment timeline, the stadium will be operating at full capacity—including the installation of a new roof—by the start of that campaign. The tribute match is planned as both a celebration of the upgraded stadium and a formal farewell to Messi, who left the club unexpectedly in 2021 after 18 seasons with the first team.
Barcelona have already made initial contact with Messi and his family, and the Argentine icon has reportedly agreed to take part in the event. While the format of the tribute match is still being finalized, both sides are committed to finally giving Messi the send-off he never received upon his emotional departure.
The club sees the occasion as an important opportunity to bring closure to a historic era and reunite Messi with the fans in a symbolic return to his home turf.
Before that, the Joan Gamper Trophy on August 10, 2025, will mark the partial reopening of the Camp Nou, with between 28,000 and 35,000 fans expected. The following season (2025/26), pending approval from local authorities, Barcelona hope to expand capacity to around 60,000.
However, the grand moment is being saved for the 2026/27 season—a full-house celebration of Messi’s unparalleled legacy in front of a packed Camp Nou
