There are many criticisms that can be levelled at the Champions League format and how it has changed over the years, but one of the best things about it is that allows for the putting against each other of top sides from different countries. Ordinarily you would not be able to see a world in which Borussia Dortmund of Germany can go up against Barcelona from Spain, but the Champions League allows that happen.
It was also able to happen when it was the European Cup, which is why so many teams that are based hundreds of miles away from one another have a long and illustrious history of going head-to-head.
When it comes to BVB and Barca, the first time that they met on the European stage was in the Super Cup final, meaning that they never met in the top European competition until it had already undergone its rebrand to become the Champions League.
Past Results
The first thing that it is worth doing is taking a look at how the teams have got on against one another when they’ve gone head-to-head in the past.
The table above looks at the times that Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have played one another, including information such as the venue that the matches were played in, when they took place and what the final score ended up being, with BVB’s score first each time:
Major Games
The reality of the matter is that Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona haven’t yet met in any of the important rounds of the Champions League, having faced each other numerous times in the competition but never in the semi-finals or the final. Even so, there have been a couple of big games thanks to the fact that the two of them met in the UEFA Super Cup in 1998 and one really exciting one in the new-look group stage of the Champions League during the 2024-2025 season.
Here is a look at the big games the two sides have taken part in:
UEFA Super Cup Final First-Leg – 08/01/1998
The UEFA Super Cup is the kind of event that is often put down by supporters of clubs who could never hope to reach it. In truth, it is a match with arguably the toughest qualification criteria in the sport, given that you need to have won either the Champions League or the second-tier European competition at the time in order to play in it. Borussia Dortmund had made it there thanks to a win over Juventus in the Champions League final at the end of the 1996-1997 season, whilst Barcelona had defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
The first-leg saw the two teams descend upon the Camp Nou in Barcelona, where the hosts took the lead after just eight minutes thanks to a goal from Luis Enrique. The rest of the half played out without any real incident, with the 50,000 in attendance happy to see their favourite team cruising towards victory in the opening leg of the Super Cup final. Just after the hour mark and English referee David Elleray felt that he had cause to point to the spot, awarding the home side with a penalty that Rivaldo happily stepped up to score.
UEFA Super Cup Final Second-Leg – 11/03/1998
It might seem alien to modern football fans to see the UEFA Super Cup played over two legs, which is an entirely fair thought. Whilst it remains a criminally underrated competition in terms of the manner in which supporters of other clubs view it, it has at least been made more sensible in that it is played over one leg at a neutral venue rather than two in a home and away format. The iteration of the competition at the start of 1998 was the last time that it was played over two legs, with the matches being several months apart from one another.
Gran jugada personal de Giovanni que acaba en gol y da medio título al Barça en la Supercopa de Europa
⚽️ Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Barcelona
11-3-1998
Vuelta Supercopa de Europa pic.twitter.com/SqywQ8JhaZ
— RetroPlus (@retro_plus) September 7, 2021
The German side knew that they were up against it from the first-leg, hoping that any kind of early goal might turn the tie in their favour. There was an early goal – scored at exactly the same time as the opening goal of the first-leg, in fact – but the bad news was that it was scored by Barcelona. This time it was Giovanni who got the goal, all but putting the game beyond BVB’s reach. The home fans did have something to shout about just after the hour mark when Jörg Heinrich scored, but it was nothing more than a consolation goal.
UEFA Champions League Group Game – 12/11/2024
When UEFA confirmed the changes to the Champions League format for the 2024-2025 season, brought in to stave off the threat posed by the aborted European Super League, their hope was that it would see thrilling matches played out earlier in the competition than usual. Rather than mini groups, every team was placed into one big group, drawn against sides from different pots. Hence it was that Borussia Dortmund were drawn to play Barcelona at home in the November, marking just the fifth times the teams had faced each other.
⚽️ FT: #Dortmund 2-3 #Barcelona
#Torres scored twice, including an 85th-minute winner, to secure #Barcelona’s hard-fought 3-2 victory. Torres brace in 10 minutes after coming on in the 71st minute pushed Barcelona to 15 points.
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— Talk Football (@talkfootball.bsky.social) December 11, 2024 at 10:39 PM
With more than 80,000 people inside the Westfalenstadion to witness it, what played out was an instant classic. After a goalless first-half, Raphina gave the away side the lead after 53 minutes before a penalty from teenager Serhou Guirassy drew the Germans level. Ferran Torres then restored Barcelona’s lead before another goal from Guirassy three minutes later meant it looked like it would be honours even. Torres had other ideas, however, scoring his second of the game in the 85th minute to win it for the Spanish side.