Barcelona finnalising Morocco friendly to complete pre-season schedule | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are putting the finishing touches to their pre-season preparations, with the club working to arrange an additional friendly in Morocco before the start of the new campaign.

The club has confirmed in an official statement that it is planning to play a friendly match on 15 August in Tangier against a local side.

“Furthermore, on the sporting side, the Board of Directors are finalising arrangements for a men’s first team friendly match on 15 August in Tanger (Morrocco) against a local team,” the statement read.

The fixture would take place during the opening weekend of the La Liga season.

However, Barcelona will not begin their league campaign at that time after their opening match against Athletic Club was postponed due to several players’ involvement in the latter stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Some organisational details still need to be resolved before the match can be officially confirmed.

Extra match to build match fitness

An additional friendly in the works. (Picture credit: X/@FCBarcelona)

Barcelona intend to use the available window in the calendar to add one final competitive fixture before the season gets under way.

Hansi Flick’s coaching staff believe that another match will help the squad improve its match sharpness while providing further opportunities to distribute playing time between senior players and the large group of academy prospects involved in pre-season.

The Catalan side are currently based at St George’s Park in England, where preparations for the new season are continuing.

Following their two friendlies in England against Birmingham City and Preston North End, Barcelona will travel to Italy on 8 August to take part in the Udine triangular tournament, facing Udinese and Nottingham Forest.

The friendly would take place in Tangier, Morocco. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

If the Morocco fixture is confirmed, Tangier will become the team’s final destination before returning to Barcelona for the Joan Gamper Trophy on 19 August, where they are scheduled to face Al Ahly.

Part of Barcelona’s international strategy

The proposed friendly also aligns with Barcelona’s broader commercial strategy. North Africa represents one of the club’s strongest international markets, with a large supporter base across the region.

The Blaugrana view maintaining a visible presence there as an important part of their global expansion plans, while also generating additional commercial opportunities.

Should negotiations be successfully concluded in the coming days, Flick’s side will add another fixture to their pre-season programme before turning their full attention to the start of the competitive campaign.