FC Barcelona has officially concluded the final touches on its pre-season preparation for the upcoming football season, focusing on organizing an additional friendly match in Morocco prior to the commencement of official competitions. The Catalan club confirmed through an official statement that arrangements are underway for a friendly encounter scheduled for August 15, which will take place in the city of Tangier against a local team.
In its announcement, Barcelona stated, "From a sporting perspective, the board of directors continues to finalize arrangements for a friendly match for the first men's team on August 15 in Tangier, Morocco, against a local team." Originally, this match was planned for the first weekend of the Spanish La Liga; however, Barcelona will not kick off its campaign during that period due to the postponement of its opening match against Athletic Bilbao, owing to the participation of several players in the later stages of the 2026 World Cup.
Some organizational details still need to be finalized before the official announcement of the match can be made. Barcelona aims to make the most of the available time in its fixture schedule by adding one final test ahead of the season's start. The coaching staff, led by German manager Hansi Flick, believes that engaging in another match will assist players in reaching peak readiness levels and provide an opportunity to distribute playing time among first-team members and the young talents participating in the preparations.
The Catalan team is currently in a training camp at St. George's Park in England, where they have already competed in two friendly matches against Birmingham City and Preston North End. Following this, Barcelona is set to travel to Italy on August 8 to participate in a triangular friendly tournament in Udine, where they will face Udinese and Nottingham Forest.
If the match in Morocco is confirmed, Tangier will serve as Barcelona's final stop before returning to Spain to play the Joan Gamper Trophy match on August 19 against Egyptian club Al Ahly. The choice of Morocco is not solely based on sporting factors; it is part of Barcelona's broader commercial expansion strategy, particularly given that North Africa is considered one of the key markets for the club due to its large fan base.
Barcelona believes that enhancing its presence in the region will contribute to expanding its global reach and creating new commercial opportunities as part of its plan to strengthen its brand outside of Europe.
As reported by aljazeera.net.
