Barcelona list Hamza Abdelkarim as number 29, but Champions League place remains uncertain

Hamza Abdelkarim has appeared on the official La Liga website as a Barcelona player, but the Egyptian forward has not yet been registered in the club’s main first-team squad.

Reports had suggested that Abdelkarim had been promoted from Barcelona’s reserve squad to the senior team, potentially paving the way for regular involvement under German manager Hansi Flick and making it easier for him to be included in the club’s European squad.

However, his listing on La Liga’s website does not confirm that he has become a fully registered first-team player.

The key detail is Abdelkarim’s shirt number. He is currently listed as wearing number 29, which indicates that he has been included in a reserve list linked to Barcelona’s first team rather than in the club’s principal senior squad.

Under La Liga regulations, first-team players are registered with shirt numbers from one to 25. Reserve-team players can be listed with numbers between 26 and 50 when they are registered in an associated squad.

As a result, Abdelkarim’s appearance on the La Liga website represents an important step, but it does not mean he has been permanently added to Barcelona’s main first-team registration list.

There is further evidence that the 19-year-old has not yet been promoted officially. Abdelkarim’s name does not appear on the first-team squad list published on Barcelona’s official website.

The situation could still change in the coming days. Barcelona may register Abdelkarim in the senior squad after the summer transfer window closes, particularly if the club does not sign another striker before the end of the transfer period.

It is also possible that he will remain on the reserve list while still being available to play for the first team under the relevant competition rules. His final status is expected to become clear when the Spanish transfer window closes on 1 September.

If Barcelona formally promotes him to the first-team squad, his shirt number would have to change to one between one and 25.

The decision will also determine whether Abdelkarim can play in the Champions League this season. His European eligibility depends directly on the squad in which he is registered domestically and whether Barcelona includes him in its UEFA list.

If Barcelona place him in the main first-team squad and then name him in their Champions League registration, there would be no fundamental obstacle to his participation, provided he meets all other registration and eligibility requirements.

However, remaining on the reserve list would leave him unable to join Barcelona’s main European list under the relevant UEFA rules. Clubs may include eight reserve-team players in their principal “A” list, but those players must have been with the club, or another club affiliated to the same national association, for at least three seasons. Abdelkarim does not currently meet that requirement.

The alternative “B” list also presents difficulties. Although there is no limit to the number of players who can be included, UEFA rules state that a player must have been continuously eligible to play for the club for two years after turning 15, or for a total of three years. Only one loan period of no more than one year to another club from the same association is permitted.

Abdelkarim joined Barcelona in January and has not yet completed the required period, meaning he cannot currently benefit from the “B” list exemption.

His European future therefore depends largely on Barcelona’s decision over its senior squad. Promotion and inclusion in the club’s Champions League list would make him eligible to play, while remaining on the reserve list without meeting the “B” list criteria would rule him out of European action this season.

Barcelona must submit its European squad to UEFA by 2 September, one day after the transfer window in Spain closes. Those deadlines will determine whether Abdelkarim is given a place in the club’s main squad or continues his current status as a reserve-team player linked to the first team.