| Barcelona vs Al Ahly | |
| MATCH | Club Friendlies |
| DATE | 19 - 08 - 2026 |
| TIME | 11.30 PM IST |
| STADIUM | Stadium |
Barcelona vs Al Ahly: Match Preview
Barcelona will bring their pre-season campaign to a close on Wednesday when they face Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy, with the Catalan side aiming to lift the prestigious trophy for the 48th time.
Hansi Flick's team have endured a mixed pre-season so far, recording three victories and two defeats from their five friendly matches. Barcelona will head into their final warm-up game with confidence after producing an impressive 5-2 victory over Basel in their previous outing.
The match against Al Ahly will be Barcelona's final preparation before the start of their La Liga campaign. Flick's side are scheduled to face Elche on August 23, while their meeting with Athletic Bilbao has been moved to August 27 following the involvement of several players in the latter stages of the 2026 World Cup.
Barcelona have also been active in the transfer market, adding Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi and Jesse Bisiwu to their squad. Rodri and Joao Cancelo are also expected to arrive, while further changes could take place before the transfer window closes. The club are reportedly still looking for another striker, with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez among their leading targets.
Barcelona have dominated the Joan Gamper Trophy historically and won last year's edition 5-0 against Como. They have also avoided defeat in the competition since losing 1-0 to Sampdoria in 2012.
Barcelona pre-season form: W-L-W-L-W
Al Ahly Looking to Build Momentum
Al Ahly will enter the contest with considerably less pre-season preparation. The Egyptian champions have played just one friendly so far this summer, suffering a 2-1 defeat against CE Europa on August 14.
Wednesday's fixture will therefore be their second and final warm-up match before beginning their 2026-27 Egyptian Premier League campaign against Enppi on August 23.
Known as one of Africa's most successful clubs, Al Ahly have won the Egyptian Premier League 45 times, 30 more titles than any other team. However, they endured a disappointing domestic campaign last season, finishing third in the standings.
The Red Devils are now coached by Hussein Ammouta, who will be looking to use this high-profile fixture to assess his squad and prepare his players for the competitive season ahead.
Al Ahly pre-season form: L
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona will be without Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji, with both players sidelined through injury. However, Flick otherwise has a strong squad available for the final pre-season fixture.
Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Olmo have returned to the group after helping Spain win the 2026 World Cup and could feature as they continue building their match fitness.
Raphinha is expected to operate through the middle once again, while new signing Anthony Gordon could receive another opportunity on the left flank.
One player who has impressed during Barcelona's pre-season campaign is 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim. The youngster has scored three goals during the preparations and could be handed additional minutes against Al Ahly.
Jules Kounde could also return to the starting XI. The French defender has recently been linked with a possible departure from Camp Nou, but he remains an important option for Flick.
Al Ahly Team News
Al Ahly will be without Youssef Belammari and Ibrahim El Asyuti, who are both unavailable because of injuries.
Hussein Ammouta is expected to rotate his squad extensively during the match as he continues to evaluate his players ahead of the new Egyptian Premier League season.
Experienced attacker Hussein El Shahat could feature from the start, while Mounsef Bakrar is also expected to be given an opportunity to impress.
With both managers likely to use the fixture as an important final test before their respective league campaigns begin, the Joan Gamper Trophy clash should provide an entertaining conclusion to Barcelona's pre-season preparations.
