Away day blues – Barcelona begin 2026 with tough run on the road | OneFootball

Barcelona returned to training yesterday after a short festive break, and the mood around the squad is one of focus rather than celebration. 

With momentum on their side, the challenge now is to carry that form into what promises to be one of the most demanding starts to a calendar year in recent memory.

To put the scale of the challenge into context, the team will not play a single match at home until the end of January. 

In fact, Barça’s first six fixtures of the new year will all be away from home, a schedule that leaves little room for error.

A look at the matches

Their competitive return begins with a derby against Espanyol on January 3 and just days later, Barcelona travel again for the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Athletic Club on January 7.

The month continues with another difficult league assignment away to Real Sociedad on January 18, followed by a UEFA Champions League clash against Slavia Prague on January 21. 

Barcelona have a tough run of games in January. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Two additional fixtures could further complicate the schedule, notably, a potential Super Cup final on January 11 and a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie, scheduled between January 13 and 15.

The first match of 2026 at the Spotify Camp Nou will not arrive until the weekend of January 24–25, when Real Oviedo pay a visit. This would be a match where Camp Nou could host a bigger audience.

Barcelona will eventually close January with another home fixture, which is the final Champions League group match against Copenhagen on January 28.

One big issue

There is, however, one big concern. Almost all of Barcelona’s defeats this season have come away from home. 

Aside from the 1–2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, every setback has occurred on the road, including league defeats to Sevilla and Real Madrid, as well as a Champions League loss to Chelsea.

This is why January represents a defining moment.