One day, gonna tell my kids about Cactus Jack x Barcelona

Barcelona – Real Madrid. The Blaugrana, wounded and freshly eliminated from the Champions League after a match destined to go down in history against Inter, arrive at yet another Clásico with a Copa del Rey already in their trophy cabinet, won just two weeks earlier against Real. Now only one objective remains: securing LaLiga as well. Thus, the showdown at Montjuïc against Los Merengues is crucial: a victory would move Barça seven points clear and effectively seal the title in the next round. The stadium cameras, at each of the Blaugrana’s four goals in a match that ended 4-3, and at every skillful play by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, focus on an extraordinary duo: Joan Laporta and Travis Scott.

The Texas rapper flew in from Houston to Barcelona for the latest chapter of the partnership between Spotify and the Catalan club, which saw the Cactus Jack logo—Scott’s record label—appear on the match jersey. We can now say with certainty: prioritizing the Cactus Jack logo over Taylor Swift’s was a brilliantly cunning move by Spotify and Barcelona.

The Rebirth of Barcelona

But the collaboration between Cactus Jack and Barça has already gone down in history. Because it cements the club’s coolness, lost only for a few months, and above all because it closes one circle—the one between football and pop culture—and opens another: it kicks off everything that will happen over the next 365 days, with a countdown to the 2026 North American World Cup. An event that, in terms of buzz, initiatives, merchandising, and celebrity culture, has much to learn from this partnership between Travis Scott and Barcelona.

So, if Barcelona has once again become the coolest team ever—yes, that very same Barcelona that in January 2025 auctioned off pieces of the old Camp Nou, becoming the laughingstock of half of Europe, and shortly thereafter saw Hansi Flick ban his players from wearing tunnel fits—it is also thanks to the unstoppable aura of players like Jules Koundé, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal. An aura that allowed the club—at least perceptually—to heal. To retrace its steps in the blink of an eye, to open a new chapter in the macrocosm of football, and naturally to win two trophies that seem to inaugurate a new, glorious Blaugrana era. Credit is also due to a forward-thinking organization that in 2022 signed a €180 million partnership with Spotify: an agreement that goes far beyond the commercial contracts we’re accustomed to.

Cactus Jack x Barcelona Rewrite the Rules

Explaining why is very simple. First, it Americanized the most European of clubs, bringing the cage to Barcelona, recently seen at Coachella and earlier in the United States with Edgar Davids. Then, because it held a concert the day before the match: we know Travis Scott’s style well—his intensity, his energy on stage—and it was an incredible way to amp up the fans and the team. A completely unprecedented initiative for a football club, which rarely associates so deeply with an artist of this caliber. But perhaps the most interesting detail is this: Travis Scott appeared genuinely enthusiastic about the collaboration. Although it was a performance tied to contractual obligations with the sponsor, his presence on stage at the ESKLANDESTINO art space on the day of the capsule collection’s presentation—which goes well beyond the concept of a collection—showed real engagement. A capsule that—more than any other—rewrites the rules.

The match jersey, both Home and Away versions, born from the collaboration between Travis and Barcelona, naturally sold out and is now being resold at exorbitant prices on platforms like StockX. The rest of the capsule, however, available only on the artist’s e-commerce site, is still purchasable. And this is exactly what opens up a discussion worth exploring, especially with the 2026 World Cup in sight. In our exclusive interview—coming out next month—Doug Bierton, founder of Classic Football Shirts, told us how what lies ahead with the upcoming World Cup in North America is a true merchandising revolution: football jerseys could become cult objects, on par with a New York Yankees cap or a Los Angeles Lakers jersey. The Travis Scott x Barcelona collaboration, after all, is only a taste of what we will see over the next 365 days.

So, the collaboration between Cactus Jack and Barcelona will be one we tell our grandchildren about, because it represents a true historical watershed. It closes an already opened narrative, but above all lays solid foundations for football’s future. It is the concrete manifestation of an evolution now necessary: the definitive integration of entertainment into football. Quality entertainment, capable of being perceived as a generational, authentic, disruptive event. Move over Kings League: we want more hugs between Lamine Yamal and Travis Scott at the final whistle.