Confirmed: Barcelona will face Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have officially confirmed Al Ahly as their opponents for the 61st edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy, which will be played on 19 August at 20:00 at the Spotify Camp Nou.

The Egyptian giants will make history as the first African club ever to participate in Barcelona’s traditional preseason curtain-raiser.

The confirmation follows weeks of speculation, with reports earlier this month indicating that Al Ahly had emerged as Barcelona’s preferred opponent for the annual fixture.

The choice reflects the increasingly close relationship between the two clubs, strengthened by the transfer of Hamza Abdelkarim.

The 18-year-old striker initially joined Barcelona on loan during the winter transfer window before the Catalan club exercised their option to sign him permanently ahead of Egypt’s World Cup campaign.

A growing partnership

Relations between Barcelona and Al Ahly have continued to develop over the past year.

Last summer, Barcelona president Joan Laporta welcomed Mahmoud El Khatib, president of Al Ahly, along with Mohamed Kamel, chairman of Red Castle Company, the firm overseeing the construction of Al Ahly’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2029.

The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration between the clubs, with both sides exchanging ideas on sporting and institutional development.

That partnership has already produced Hamza Abdelkarim’s move to Barcelona, while Al Ahly’s participation in this year’s Gamper Trophy represents another milestone.

Al Ahly will face Barcelona next month. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Previous meetings

Although this will be Al Ahly’s first appearance in the Joan Gamper Trophy, the two clubs have faced each other twice before in friendly matches.

The first meeting took place in Egypt in 2007, with Barcelona recording a 4-0 victory thanks to goals from Javier Saviola, Bojan Krkic, and a Samuel Eto’o brace.

Their second encounter came in London in 2009, where Barcelona again won comfortably, this time 4-1, with Bojan, Rueda, Jeffren, and Pedro all finding the net.

Barcelona also confirmed that both the official team presentation and the match against Al Ahly will be broadcast live through the club’s new streaming platform, Barça Play, as well as on its YouTube Premium channel.