FC Barcelona will kick off their preseason on July 24 with a friendly against CE Europa at Joan Gamper CT, marking Hansi Flick's inaugural match as head coach. This behind-closed-doors fixture will see a significantly reduced first-team squad, as numerous key players, including eight from Spain, are still competing in the World Cup. Consequently, Flick plans to utilize and evaluate promising young talents from the Juvenil U-18s and Barca Atletic, offering them a chance to impress. Breaking from their usual foreign tours, the reigning La Liga champions will instead prepare at St. George's Park in England, culminating in a July 31 match against Birmingham City. New $80 million signing Anthony Gordon joins the squad, while Marcus Rashford's loan will not be extended.
FC Barcelona v CE Europa will be the Blaugrana's first match of the 2026/2027 season.
FC Barcelona will play CE Europa in their first preseason match as confirmed by the latter Catalan club on Monday.
FC Barcelona will play CE Europa in their first preseason match, as confirmed by the latter Catalan club on Monday.
“A luxury rival. FC Barcelona will be the first opponent of CE Europa in the preseason. [We will] visit the Blaugrana on the 24th of July to play a friendly match against the team directed by Hansi Flick,” it tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The fixture in question will take place at the Joan Gamper CT, Barça’s training ground, on said date. Kick off time is still unannounced.
Barça and CE Europa will meet behind close doors, and this’ll be Hansi Flick’s men’s first competitive encounter in 2026/2027.
Barça goes into the new season as the back-to-back defending La Liga champion, and it’s also won the Spanish Cup at Real Madrid’s expense the last two times of asking.
Preseason officially starts on July 13 with routine medical check ups and some training sessions. Given the World Cup doesn’t end until the 19th, however, Flick will have a smaller sized squad than usual.
Favorites such as Spain have no fewer than eight FC Barcelona players - such as Lamine Yamal and Pedri - featuring in the North America-held FIFA tournament entering the knockout phase.
There’s also Raphinha representing Brazil ,and Jules Kounde is a guaranteed starter for France.
With this in mind, a string of budding talents could be called up from the Juvenil U-18s and the Barça Atletic reserve outfit to train, as is common practice at this point of the year.
They’d get a chance to impress Flick, and possibly become a part of the first team furniture as a consequence, which we’ve seen with Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart after past preseason camps.
FC Barcelona is breaking from the norm this season
In a World Cup year, Barça won’t embark on a preseason tour to the United States or Asia.
They’ll still head overseas, though, preparing at St. George’s Park in England for the upcoming campaign in general, plus a July 31st meeting against Birmingham City.
Those will be familiar surroundings for Anthony Gordon, who joined Barça in an $80 million transfer before the FIFA competition.
Gordon has thus far failed to impress for the Three Lions. At the weekend, he lost his starting XI place to the man he has replaced at the Spotify Camp Nou in Marcus Rashford.
As previously reported, FC Barcelona do not plan to plan to make Rashford’s loan, which expires on June 30, permanent.