Manchester City have confirmed the expanded North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renamed the ‘The Pep Guardiola Stand’.
The club will also commission a statue for the departing manager following his historic spell in Manchester.
Guardiola Honored With Etihad Stadium Tribute
The announcement comes as a tribute to the Catalan’s decade of dominance in English football, during which he transformed the club into a global powerhouse and secured a trophy haul that has redefined the Premier League era.
The stand will officially open for the first time during Guardiola’s final game in charge against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The redevelopment project, which began in late 2023, has added more than 7,000 seats and increased the stadium’s capacity to over 61,000. City also confirmed plans to commission a statue of Guardiola outside the newly-named stand.
The Catalan will join club legends Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Agüero in being permanently recognized around the Etihad campus.
Guardiola And City Hierarchy Pay Tribute
Speaking during his press conference, Guardiola admitted he was touched by the gesture from the club as he prepares to leave Manchester after a hugely successful decade in charge.
“Khaldoon [Al Mubarak] referred to as me this morning to say that the membership took that call,” Guardiola stated. “I’ve no phrases. I like the sensation that my vibe or my vitality might be there endlessly. So I like that feeling.”
Membership proprietor Sheikh Mansour additionally praised Guardiola’s affect on and off the pitch, insisting his legacy stretches past the trophies received throughout his tenure.
“I stated a very long time in the past that Manchester City ought to have the perfect folks at its disposal, each on and off the sector. For ten years Pep has been the personification of that ambition,” Mansour defined on the membership’s official website.
“He has made an indelible imprint on the DNA of the Membership. One that’s borne extra from how he received than from the various trophies he lifted. He has the endless gratitude of myself and all the Metropolis household, a household of which he’ll at all times be half.”
Pep’s Legacy Secured At Man Metropolis
The choice underlines Guardiola’s impression on Metropolis and English soccer throughout probably the most profitable durations within the membership’s historical past.
The renamed stand and statue are designed to make sure his affect stays a part of the membership’s id lengthy after his departure.
Al Mubarak described the tribute as recognition of Guardiola’s lasting contribution to each the membership and the town itself.
“The Pep Guardiola Stand, and the statue that may sit outdoors it, rightly be certain that Pep’s legacy will stay endlessly woven into the material of this soccer membership, the town of Manchester and English soccer,” he stated.
“The distinctive relationship that he has with our followers has been earned by means of the honesty and keenness of his ten seasons preventing to carry them success. The Pep Guardiola Stand is a becoming and everlasting reminder of that relationship, probably the most profitable interval in our membership’s historical past, and the distinctive soccer genius at its coronary heart.”
Emotional Farewell Awaits Guardiola
Sunday’s conflict with Aston Villa will mark Guardiola’s remaining match in cost and is predicted to be an emotional event on the Etihad Stadium.
The opening of the renamed stand will permit supporters to have fun the supervisor’s achievements one remaining time.
Metropolis’s focus may even shift in direction of a brand new period after Guardiola’s departure, with the membership aiming to construct on the foundations created throughout his decade-long reign.
2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Unfold throughout three nations, the match will culminate with the ultimate on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 match matches will air stay throughout FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with each match streaming stay and on-demand inside each the FOX One and the FOX Sports activities app. A document 40 matches, greater than one-third of the match, will air in prime time throughout FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream without cost on Tubi, in addition to the USA’s opening match in opposition to Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
