Why São Paulo could play more matches at Canindé in 2026 | OneFootball

São Paulo can — and should — play its games at Canindé more often throughout this season. The São Paulo club has a contract with Live Nation for hosting concerts at Morumbis, which makes the stadium unavailable for certain matches during the year.

This scenario is happening right now. Morumbis hosted two concerts by the rock band AC/DC on February 24 and 28. There is still another one scheduled for next Wednesday (the 4th). After the concerts, the stadium's pitch will be completely replaced, leaving São Paulo without a venue to host its games.

As a result, São Paulo reached an agreement with Portuguesa's SAF and will host the match against Chapecoense, valid for the fifth round of the Brazilian Championship, at Canindé. The change has already been formalized by the CBF.

Rui Costa, São Paulo's football director, explained the situation. The board had already considered Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, in Campinas, but chose Canindé. Given Morumbis' unavailability due to the concert schedule, the trend is for the tricolor team to play more games at the stadium in the northern zone of the capital.

“It’s likely that they will be at Canindé, always thinking about our fans’ access. To be clear, we cannot play at Morumbis, and that’s why we’re going to play there. It’s likely that São Paulo’s games will be at Canindé,” said Rui Costa at a press conference last Sunday.

“We had considered Campinas, but for operational reasons, financial partnerships, and costs, we understood that the best option is Canindé. The games that São Paulo cannot play at Morumbis should be there,” he concluded.

According to the report, São Paulo even had a preliminary agreement with Portuguesa to host a potential Paulista final at Canindé, since Morumbis would not be available. The club, however, ended up missing out on the finals after being eliminated by Palmeiras last Sunday in the semifinal.

The schedule of concerts at Morumbis currently includes two other international acts: The Weeknd, on April 30 and May 1, and Harry Styles, on July 17, 18, 21, and 24.

It’s worth noting that São Paulo recently renewed its contract with Live Nation. Still under Julio Casares’ management, in May 2025, the Morumbis club extended the agreement with the event producer until 2031.

Situation this season

After being knocked out in the Paulista semifinal, São Paulo will pick up the pieces. The Tricolor has the next ten days to recover and prepare for the return of the Brazilian Championship, in which they will face Chapecoense on March 12.

Upcoming São Paulo matches

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