Barcelona cut ties with D-Drive after chaotic pre-season experience | OneFootball

Barcelona have officially decided to sever all ties with South Korean company D-Drive, the organiser of their pre-season tour in Asia.

According to a recent report from SPORT, the club has ruled out any future collaboration with the agency following a chaotic lead-up to their scheduled match against Vissel Kobe in Japan.

The incident unfolded on July 23, when Barcelona publicly announced the cancellation of their first pre-season fixture due to what they described as a “serious breach of contract” by the event promoter.

The situation created uncertainty and raised concerns within the club, as the match against Vissel Kobe was expected to be an important fixture in Hansi Flick’s first pre-season as head coach.

It was only after intervention by Hiroshi Mikitani, president of Rakuten and Vissel Kobe, that the issue was resolved.

Mikitani personally covered the unpaid amount that should have been settled by the Yasuda Group, the event’s main sponsor.

Club grateful to fans but disappointed with D-Drive

Barcelona were not happy with D-Drive. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Although the tour continued as planned and Barça received a warm welcome from fans in both Japan and South Korea, the internal atmosphere at the club was far from positive.

Club executives and Hansi Flick were both unhappy with how the entire tour was organised. The changes to the schedule and overall planning left the coaching staff frustrated, especially considering how important a smooth pre-season is for building momentum.

As a result, Barcelona have now decided they will not partner with D-Drive again. The club has learned from the experience and will be more selective in future when it comes to working with international tour organisers.

However, this decision does not mean Barcelona are turning their back on Asia.

With the 2026 World Cup set to take place in the United States, Barça are expected to continue global tours in the coming years, and Asia remains very much on the radar. Just not with D-Drive.