Barça plans to pay homage to Messi for inauguration of fully refurbished Camp Nou

FC Barcelona is planning to honor one of the best players the team has seen, Lionel Messi, at the inauguration of the fully refurbished Spotify Camp Nou.

According to Catalan media outlets, the celebration will take place during the 2026/27 season, when the stadium will be fully refurbished after several years of construction.

Barça is planning to slowly return to the Camp Nou stadium on August 10, with the first game of the refurbished stadium coinciding with the Joan Gamper Trophy.

However, the first League games will take place in the Catalan field on the weekend of September 13-14.

Meanwhile, the return to the team's home stadium is still up in the air with just one month to go.

The city council cannot yet "decide" on the return as the construction works are still ongoing, as local authorities reported on Thursday.

The council approved modifying the construction works licence, which is a first step for the return, but still not enough.

For Barça to be able to return to the Spotify Camp Nou, the team needs the licence, but the council cannot start to decide on granting it until the works are concluded.

Lionel Messi left FC Barcelona in 2021 after his contract expired. Despite negotiations to keep him in the Catalan team, the player bid farewell to what had been his team for years. The player even accepted halving his salary.

The team plans to recognize his legacy at an inauguration ceremony of the fully refurbished Camp Nou during the 2026/27 season.