Barcelona 2026 Preseason Schedule and Results: Key Dates and Details

Barcelona are chasing a third straight La Liga championship for the first time in 16 years. Under Hansi Flick, the team followed up their 2024/25 title with another strong season, finishing ahead of rivals Real Madrid. This marks their third league win in four seasons. Madrid have responded by heavily investing this summer and bringing back Jose Mourinho as coach to reignite their rivalry.

For now, things seem stable for the champions. Here’s an overview of their preseason matches and plans.

Barcelona's 2026 Preseason Match Results and Schedule

• Club Esportiu Europa: Win 4-1 on August 24 at Ciutat Esportiva, Barcelona (7:30 a.m. ET)
• Birmingham City: Draw 2-2 on July 31 at St Andrew's, Birmingham (2:45 p.m. ET)
• Nottingham Forest*: Win 1-0 on August 8 at Stadio Friuli, Udine (3 p.m. ET)
• Udinese*: Loss 0-1 on August 8 at Stadio Friuli, Udine (4 p.m. ET)
• Basel: Win 5-2 on August 16 at St. Jakob-Park, Basel (10:30 a.m. ET)
• Al Ahly: Scheduled for August 19 at Camp Nou, Barcelona (Time TBC)

* These were 45-minute matches played during a double-header in Udine.

Venues for Preseason Games

Barcelona played Birmingham City at the Championship side's home, St Andrew's Stadium, during their training camp in the UK based at St. George's Park, the training ground used by England’s national teams.

The shortened matches against Nottingham Forest and Udinese happened at Italy’s Stadio Friuli in Udine. Their convincing victory over Basel took place at St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland.

The traditional Joan Gamper Trophy match against Egyptian club Al Ahly will be hosted at Camp Nou for the first time since 2022, after renovations were completed on Barcelona’s stadium.

Return of World Cup Players

Frenkie de Jong joined the squad in England following the Netherlands’ exit from the World Cup Round of 32 but remains sidelined due to a knee ligament injury.

Other players who appeared in the World Cup returned for games in Udine. Members of Spain’s winning World Cup team, alongside defenders like Jules Kounde and winger Anthony Gordon, took part in the match against Basel.

Opening Matches of La Liga 2026/27

Barcelona will start their league campaign away at Elche on August 23. Last season, they won both fixtures against Elche with 3-1 scorelines, featuring goals from World Cup final hero Ferran Torres.

The next two matches are consecutive night games at Camp Nou versus Athletic Club on August 27 and Rayo Vallecano on August 31.

• August 23: Elche (Away)
• August 27: Athletic Club (Home)
• August 31: Rayo Vallecano (Home)
• September 6: Valencia (Away)
• September 13: Levante (Away)