Barcelona's Pre-Season Preparations Include Morocco Friendly
FC Barcelona is finalizing its pre-season plans as the club gears up for the upcoming football season. In an official announcement, the Catalan team confirmed that they are organizing an additional friendly match in Morocco before the official competitions commence. The match is scheduled to take place on August 15th in the city of Tangier against a local team.
According to the club's statement, "From a sporting perspective, the board is finalizing arrangements for the first-team men's friendly match on August 15 in Tangier, Morocco, against a local team." Originally, this match was intended to occur during the first weekend of the Spanish league, but due to a postponement of Barcelona's opening match against Athletic Bilbao—resulting from several players participating in the later stages of the 2026 World Cup—the scheduling has changed.
Final Preparations Before the Season Kickoff
Barcelona aims to utilize this available time in their match schedule for one last test before the season begins. The coaching staff, led by German manager Hansi Flick, believes that playing another match will help the players reach peak readiness, while also providing an opportunity to distribute playing time among first-team members and the young talents involved in the preparations.
Currently, the team is in a training camp at St. George's Park in England, where they have already played two friendly matches against Birmingham City and Preston North End. Following this, Barcelona will head to Italy on August 8th to participate in a tri-nation friendly tournament in Udine, facing Udinese and Nottingham Forest. If the match in Morocco is confirmed, it will serve as the final stop for Barcelona before returning to Spain for the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Egyptian club Al Ahly on August 19th.
The choice of Morocco is not solely based on sporting reasons; it is strategically aligned with Barcelona's plans to expand its commercial presence. North Africa is considered a significant market for the club, given its vast fan base. The club believes that enhancing its presence in the region will contribute to widening its global reach and opening new commercial opportunities, as part of its strategy to strengthen its brand beyond Europe.
As reported by aljazeera.net.
