Barca friendly will not delay Al Ahly’s Egyptian Premier League opener

Al Ahly’s high-profile friendly against Barcelona in Spain will go ahead on 19 August without affecting the club’s participation in the opening round of the new Egyptian Premier League season.

The Cairo giants are set to face Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy on 19 August, and, according to information obtained by FilGoal.com and reported locally, there is currently no plan to postpone Al Ahly’s first league fixture, despite the tight scheduling.

The new Egyptian Premier League campaign is due to kick off on either 20 or 21 August. Matches in the opening round will be spread over three days, and Al Ahly are expected to play their first domestic game on the third day of that round to ease the logistical pressure created by their trip to Spain.

No postponement under consideration

FilGoal.com understands that, even after Al Ahly confirmed their participation in the Joan Gamper Trophy, discussions within the domestic football authorities did not lead to any move to reschedule the club’s opening league match.

The Egyptian Professional Clubs Association has already settled on a timetable for finalising preparations for the new season. The league draw for the upcoming campaign will be held on 1 August, with fixtures for all 20 participating clubs to be confirmed at that event.

The 2026-27 Egyptian Premier League will feature 20 teams, continuing the expanded format adopted in recent seasons.

Al Ahly confirm Barcelona date

Al Ahly have officially announced that they will face Barcelona on 19 August as part of the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Spanish club’s home.

This appearance will make Al Ahly the first Arab club to take part in the Joan Gamper Trophy since the current format of the competition was introduced in 1997.

The match adds to a brief but notable history of meetings between the two clubs.

Previous meetings with Barcelona

Al Ahly and Barcelona have met twice before in friendly matches.

The first encounter came in 2007 in Cairo during celebrations for Al Ahly’s centenary. Barcelona won that game 4-0.

Their second meeting was staged at Wembley Stadium in 2009, with the Spanish side again coming out on top, this time by a 4-1 scoreline.

Pre-season plans in Spain

Al Ahly will use the Barcelona fixture as part of a broader pre-season programme in Spain.

The club is scheduled to begin its pre-season training camp there on 6 August, giving the squad nearly two weeks of preparation in Europe before the Joan Gamper Trophy match.

The camp and the high-level friendly against Barcelona are intended to serve as final preparations before Al Ahly return to Egypt to start their domestic campaign, with their league opener still planned to take place within the first round’s three-day window and no delay currently envisaged.