English Premier League
Barcelona to play pre-season friendly in Tangier as part of 2026-27 build-up
Barcelona have set the date, venue and type of opposition for a pre-season friendly in Morocco, confirming plans for a match in Tangier on 15 August as part of their preparations for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Catalan club, who had been linked for several weeks with a summer fixture in Morocco, are finalising arrangements for the game, which will be played against a Moroccan club side rather than an overseas opponent.
According to Catalan newspaper Sport, Barcelona have decided that facing domestic opposition in Morocco is the preferred option, with the local league not scheduled to start until October. The identity of the Moroccan club has not yet been disclosed.
The Tangier fixture will be Barcelona’s penultimate outing before the new season, coming four days before they host Al Ahly of Egypt at the Spotify Camp Nou on 19 August in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy.
That showpiece at their home stadium will close out a busy pre-season schedule designed to build fitness and cohesion ahead of 2026-27.
England camp to open pre-season schedule
Barcelona are currently based in England for a training camp, where they are working through the first phase of their pre-season calendar.
The camp will finish with two friendlies against Championship opposition: Birmingham City on 31 July and Preston North End on 3 August.
Both matches form part of a sequence of games intended to gradually increase the competitive level facing the team as they move closer to the start of the new campaign.
Italian mini-tournament before Morocco trip
After leaving England, Barcelona will travel to Italy on 8 August to take part in a three-team tournament in Udine.
During that competition in Udine, they are scheduled to face Nottingham Forest from the English Premier League and Serie A side Udinese.
Those fixtures in Italy will precede the journey to Morocco for the Tangier friendly and then the meeting with Al Ahly in Barcelona.
The run of games – two in England, two in Italy, followed by the trip to Morocco and the Joan Gamper clash at the Spotify Camp Nou – will complete the team’s on-pitch preparations before the 2026-27 season gets under way.
Barcelona have not yet confirmed kick-off times, broadcasting arrangements or ticket details for the Tangier match or the Joan Gamper Trophy, and have also not formally announced the Moroccan opponent, but the dates and locations of all remaining pre-season fixtures are now in place.
