FC Barcelona defeated Egyptian club Al Ahly 2-1 at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, to win the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Hamza Abdelkarim and Raphinha scored in the first half for the Spanish hosts, before Zizo pulled a goal back for Al Ahly shortly after the break. The victory concluded Barcelona's preseason schedule ahead of their national league opener.
FC Barcelona, the reigning back-to-back champions of Spain's top division, host the Joan Gamper Trophy annually at their home ground in Catalonia as an official presentation of their squad. Named in honour of club founder Joan Gamper, the exhibition match serves as the traditional season curtain-raiser for the Catalan institution. Al Ahly, based in Cairo, entered the fixture as Egypt's most decorated club and the dominant force in African football.
Pre-Match Squad Presentation and Broadcast Details
Before kickoff, Barcelona formally presented their first-team squad for the 2026-27 season to the crowd at Spotify Camp Nou. German head coach Hansi Flick addressed the supporters inside the stadium, asking fans for their energy, passion, and continued support throughout the upcoming campaign.
The presentation highlighted several high-profile additions to the Barcelona squad, including attackers Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon alongside Spanish midfielder Rodri. Rodri joined the club following a successful tenure at Manchester City and after being named the outstanding player of the 2026 World Cup.
The match was broadcast live worldwide on the Barca TV subscription platform and FC Barcelona's official YouTube channel. Coverage in Peru began at 1:00 p.m. local time, corresponding to 12:00 p.m. in Mexico and Costa Rica, 2:00 p.m. in the eastern United States, and 8:00 p.m. in Spain. Leading bookmakers installed Barcelona as overwhelming favourites ahead of the match, with Betano offering odds of 1.11 on a home win compared to 19.00 for an Al Ahly victory and 8.00 for a draw. Similar pricing was published across major betting platforms including Bet365, 1XBet, Caliente, and Doradobet.
First Half Goals Put Barcelona Ahead
Barcelona lined up with Joan Garcia in goal behind a defensive unit of Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, and Alejandro Balde. Xavi Espart and Marc Bernal formed the midfield pairing, supporting an attacking trio of Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, and Raphinha behind striker Hamza Abdelkarim. Al Ahly named Mostafa Shobeir in goal, with Mohamed Hany, Hady, Ahmed Ramadan El Gazar, and Yahia Fouad in defense, Marwan Attia and Ahmed Nabil Koka in central midfield, and an attack featuring Zizo, Taher Mohamed, Achraf Bencharki, and Mohamed Benjdida.
Barcelona controlled the opening exchanges from the kickoff, controlling possession and pushing Al Ahly back into their defensive zone. Al Ahly attempted to launch counter-attacks through the middle, but Barcelona's back line broke up the early transitions. In the 20th minute, Lamine Yamal breached the defense down the right flank, though his cross eluded his teammates inside the penalty area. Three minutes later, Raphinha attempted a long-range strike from outside the box that passed just wide of Shobeir's post.
The opening goal arrived in the 29th minute when Hamza Abdelkarim finished a Barcelona attack to place the hosts ahead 1-0. Following the goal, the referee paused play in the 30th minute to allow both sets of players a mandatory rehydration break.
Barcelona continued to build pressure, almost doubling their lead in the 35th minute when a combination play ended with an Al Ahly clearance for a corner. In the 40th minute, Barcelona committed multiple players into the opposition box to maintain possession. The pressure paid off in the 42nd minute when Raphinha was brought down inside the area, prompting the referee to award a penalty. Raphinha took the spot-kick himself in the 44th minute, sending the ball past Shobeir to make the score 2-0.
The referee signaled three minutes of added time at the end of the first half. Barcelona held their two-goal lead through to the interval after 45 minutes of action.
Second Half Counter-Strike and Penalty Drama
Al Ahly responded quickly after the restart for the second half. In the 51st minute, Zizo found space inside the penalty box to strike past Joan Garcia, cutting Barcelona's lead to 2-1.
Barcelona thought they had restored their two-goal cushion in the 65th minute when Anthony Gordon hit the net. However, the assistant referee raised the flag for offside in the buildup, and the goal was disallowed. In the 73rd minute, Flick adjusted his team by making a substitution in goal, taking off Joan Garcia to bring on experienced Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
New signing Karim Adeyemi missed a clear chance to extend the lead in the 79th minute after miscontrolling the ball in the penalty area. Barcelona earned another chance to score late in the match when Gordon was felled in the box by an Al Ahly defender in the 89th minute. Gordon stepped up to take the resulting penalty in the 90th minute, but Shobeir correctly guessed the direction of the shot to make the save and keep the final score at 2-1.
LaLiga Season Opener Ahead
The final whistle confirmed Barcelona's victory and secured the 2026 Joan Gamper Trophy for the host club. Barcelona now turn their attention to official competition, with their LaLiga season debut scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2026.
