FC Barcelona to play friendly in Basel
FC Barcelona have confirmed another fixture as part of their 2026/27 preseason schedule. Hansi Flick's side will travel to face FC Basel on Sunday 16 August at 4.30pm CEST, with the match taking place at St. Jakob-Park, one of Switzerland's most iconic football stadiums.
Following the friendlies against Birmingham City and the triangular tournament in Udine against Nottingham Forest and Udinese, the match in Basel will be the team's third preseason outing. The final warm-up fixture before the official start of the campaign will be the Joan Gamper Trophy by Estrella Damm, which will also serve as the team's official presentation to the home fans.
Previous meetings
Barça and FC Basel have met twice in official competition, both in the group stage of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League. The blaugrana recorded an emphatic 5-0 victory at St. Jakob-Park, with goals from Leo Messi, Sergio Busquets, Bojan Krkić (2) and Xavi Hernández, while the return fixture at Camp Nou ended in a 1-1 draw, with Messi again on the scoresheet.
Before those encounters, Barça had also played two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup matches in the 1958/60 competition against a representative team from the city of Basel. They won both ties, prevailing 2-1 away from home and 5-2 in the return leg.
Special venue
Basel holds a special place in FC Barcelona's history. On 16 May 1979, the Swiss city hosted the European Cup Winners' Cup final in which the the Catalans defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf 4-3 after an unforgettable extra-time battle.
That victory secured the club's first major European trophy and was accompanied by an unprecedented travelling support. Around 30,000 culers made the journey to Switzerland to back the team, in what became the first mass away trip by Barça supporters for a European final.
More than four decades later, Barça will return to Basel, a city forever associated with one of the most memorable chapters in the club's history.