On Friday 6 November 2026, Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium hosts The Zurich All-Star Game: Del Piero & Friends against Ronaldinho & Friends. Ninety minutes with two world champions who defined an era, the Italian of 2006 and the Brazilian of 2002. But behind the poster there is a story that speaks directly to the Italian community in Switzerland, and it is worth telling first.
The organisers are Marcel Nalyan and Roberto Pinto, both from Zurich, behind the Clos Normand media outlet and the agency cn studios. They too have foreign roots, and when we asked what they wanted to say to Switzerland's Italian-speaking public, the answer came without hesitation.
"For us this project is much more than an event, it is a matter of the heart," they explain. "We dedicate this match to our parents, to our grandparents and to everyone who left behind a piece of their land and their culture to build a new and better life in Switzerland. Many of them set aside their own dreams so that today we could have the chance to pursue ours."
It is to those people, they say, that the evening of 6 November is dedicated. A celebration of identity, of variety and of the Swiss multicultural spirit, built around the memories that these legends can still awaken. Memories that, as the organisers point out, connect entire generations and show how football can bring together different people, cultures and stories.
The names are being kept firmly under wraps, but the organisers are already making one promise: onto the Letzigrund turf will step several world champions, including players from the legendary Brazil 2002 and Italy 2006 sides.
For Italian readers, the most interesting news concerns Del Piero's team, which will have a distinctly Italian character. Numerous legends of Italian football are expected, in all likelihood including some of his 2006 World Cup teammates and old Juventus colleagues. Ronaldinho's side, by contrast, will be more international, with a core of Brazilian legends. Two footballing cultures side by side, each with its own history.
The names will be revealed gradually over the coming weeks on the organisation's channels, in particular on Instagram (@clos.normand).
The stadium gates open at 18.30, with kick-off set for 20.00. A full ninety minutes will be played.
Alongside the match there will be a programme of interactive entertainment with prizes to be won. And there is one detail the organisers are deliberately leaving open: among the evening's guests there could be a world-famous musician. The name will be announced only once the deal is done.
One clarification, to avoid disappointment: there will be no autograph sessions or open fan zones with the players. The organisers explain that the infrastructure and the huge expected turnout do not allow for it, much to their regret. In their place they have created a Fan Experience for a limited number of supporters, with a personal meeting with Ronaldinho, a signed ball and shirt, and a professional photo shoot.
The stadium is already almost half full. Standard tickets are divided into five categories: seated areas 1 to 4 plus standing places, with prices starting from CHF 46.90. On top of these come the boxes, the VIP packages and the Fan Experience.
The VIP packages, starting from CHF 392.05, include access to the Letzigrund hospitality area with parking right next to the stadium, a three-course buffet with drinks included and padded seats in the main stand with generous legroom and a prime view of the pitch. The organisers also stress the value of the VIP area on a professional level: football is a common language, and a relaxed setting is often the best way to make contacts and expand your network.
All tickets are available on Ticketcorner.ch.
The format is not new. Nalyan and Pinto have worked in sports marketing for years, guiding footballers through campaigns and events with an approach that looks for the meeting point between football, music, art and culture. Out of those collaborations came the idea of staging a legends' match, held for the first time last year in Lucerne.
The events are usually held once or twice a year, always tailored to the country and the city that host them. For a match of this calibre, however, the choice of Zurich was deliberate and personal: it is the city where both were born and raised.
The Zurich All-Star Game
Friday 6 November 2026, 20.00
Letzigrund Stadium, Zurich
Tickets on Ticketcorner.ch
