Barcelona's 2026 Preseason: Results, Fixtures and What We've Learned
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How Preseason Went
Barcelona's summer began quietly, a 4-1 win over local third-tier side Club Esportiu Europa behind closed doors at the Ciutat Esportiva on July 24, used mainly to give fringe players some early minutes. Their first public test came at Birmingham City's St Andrew's, where a much-changed Barcelona side drew 2-2 during a training camp based at St George's Park, the facility usually used by England's national teams.
The trickiest stretch of the summer came in Udine, Italy, for the inaugural Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup, an unusual triangular tournament played as three separate 45-minute matches in one evening against hosts Udinese and Nottingham Forest. Barcelona beat Forest 1-0 through a stoppage-time Raphinha penalty, in a match preceded by a minute's silence for Lionel Messi's father, Jorge, who had passed away earlier that day. But an under-strength Barcelona side, missing all eight of their World Cup-winning Spain internationals plus Jules Kounde and Anthony Gordon, then lost 1-0 to Udinese themselves, beaten by a stoppage-time Vakoun Bayo counter-attack that handed the hosts the trophy.
Barcelona's attack finally clicked into gear in Basel, where a much stronger side beat FC Basel 5-2, with Lamine Yamal converting a penalty, Jesse Bisiwu scoring twice off the bench, and further goals from Karim Adeyemi and Hamza Abdelkarim. Pedri was a notable absentee, working through an individual training programme rather than featuring.
Preseason concludes with the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy against Egypt's Al Ahly on August 19, the first time an African club has taken part in the fixture and the first Gamper match played at Camp Nou since 2022, following the stadium's redevelopment.
| Opponent (Result) | Date | Location | Kick-off (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Esportiu Europa (W 4-1) | Fri, Jul 24 | Ciutat Esportiva, Barcelona | 7:30 a.m. |
| Birmingham City (D 2-2) | Fri, Jul 31 | St Andrew's, Birmingham | 2:45 p.m. |
| Nottingham Forest* (W 1-0) | Sat, Aug 8 | Bluenergy Stadium, Udine | 3:00 p.m. |
| Udinese* (L 0-1) | Sat, Aug 8 | Bluenergy Stadium, Udine | 4:00 p.m. |
| Basel (W 5-2) | Sun, Aug 16 | St Jakob-Park, Basel | 10:30 a.m. |
| Al Ahly | Wed, Aug 19 | Camp Nou, Barcelona | TBC |
*45-minute matches, part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup triangular tournament
Where Barcelona Played
Barcelona's preseason took them from their own Ciutat Esportiva to England for a training camp built around the Birmingham City friendly, then on to Udine for the triangular tournament, before a trip to Switzerland to face Basel. The Gamper Trophy closes things out back home, returning to Camp Nou for the first time in this fixture since the ground's extensive redevelopment, having been staged at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys and the Estadi Johan Cruyff in the years since.
Working World Cup Players Back Into the Squad
Frenkie de Jong travelled with the squad to England following the Netherlands' Round of 32 exit, but a knee-ligament tear will keep him sidelined regardless of the World Cup schedule. Barcelona's eight Spain internationals from the World Cup-winning squad, along with France defender Jules Kounde and England winger Anthony Gordon, missed the entire Italy trip before finally returning for the Basel match, where Yamal, Kounde, Dani Olmo and Pau Cubarsi all made their first preseason appearances of the summer.
Barcelona's First La Liga Fixtures of 2026/27
Barcelona open their title defence away at Elche, a side they beat twice last season, both times with a Ferran Torres goal, before back-to-back night matches at Camp Nou against Athletic Club and Rayo Vallecano.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, August 23 | Elche | Away |
| Thu, August 27 | Athletic Club | Home |
| Mon, August 31 | Rayo Vallecano | Home |
| Sun, September 6 | Valencia | Away |
| Sun, September 13 | Levante | Away |
The Gamper Trophy against Al Ahly carries extra significance beyond tradition: the fixture reflects a growing relationship between the two clubs, cemented by striker Hamza Abdelkarim's move from Al Ahly to Barcelona, initially on loan before the Catalans made the deal permanent ahead of his run to the World Cup with Egypt. He's already off the mark for his new club, scoring in the win over Basel.