São Paulo plans pitch swap to use Pacaembu when Morumbi has shows | OneFootball

São Paulo is in advanced talks to host matches at the Pacaembu starting in 2027, with the non-negotiable condition that the stadium replace its current synthetic pitch with natural grass.

The initiative aims to solve Morumbi’s constant unavailability during the season due to the agreement with Live Nation through 2031 and the staging of concerts at the Tricolor’s home ground.

Without a viable alternative in the city of São Paulo, the Tricolor has been turning to stadiums in the interior of the state to host its matches, such as Estádio Cícero de Souza Marques, in Bragança Paulista — venue for the recent match against Athletico-PR — and Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, in Campinas.

Grass requirement and scheduling conflicts

The main obstacle imposed by São Paulo’s board to finalize the agreement to use the Pacaembu is the replacement of the artificial turf with natural grass.

The club maintains a stance against synthetic surfaces and believes the change is essential to host its matches there.

According to what AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR has learned, Allegra, desperate over the lack of use of the stadium by the major clubs from São Paulo, accepted São Paulo’s demand.

The search for a “second home” in the capital intensified because of the concert schedule at Morumbi:

Event contract: Signed in 2023, the deal with the concert promoter provides for 36 events at the stadium between January 2026 and December 2031, guaranteeing a minimum of four shows per season.

Projection for 2026: São Paulo’s marketing department has already finalized 12 concerts at Morumbi for 2026. Only the singer Harry Styles’ four performances will take place during the World Cup break.

Financial return: With estimated net revenue of R$ 3 million per event, the 12 scheduled concerts could inject around R$ 36 million into the Tricolor’s coffers in 2026 (even though the current administration says the previous one already advanced 50% of that amount and nothing has yet been paid for this year).

In a recent meeting with the independent beat press that covers the club, Massis revealed that the board is negotiating greater autonomy over dates and managed to reschedule concerts originally planned for September to November 2027, moving them forward to February of the same year in order to preserve the pitch during the decisive months of the competitions.

Agreement broken off

São Paulo was the first club to sign an agreement with Allegra to use the Pacaembu after its privatization and the renovations carried out at the venue, back in 2023. The announcement was made by then-president Julio Casares almost at the same time as the deal with Live Nation for the use of Morumbi for concerts.

However, everything fell apart the moment the operator of the state’s most traditional football venue announced its decision to use synthetic turf, thinking more about holding events there than football matches themselves.

Playing at the Pacaembu is nothing unusual for São Paulo. It is the second stadium where the club has played the most matches in its history, with 1,039 games, totaling 572 wins, 229 draws, and 238 losses. That is an impressive 62.36% success rate, with 2,232 goals scored and 1,276 conceded. The numbers come from SPFCpédia. The Tricolor’s last match there was in the 2025 Campeonato Paulista, in a victory over Portuguesa.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.