FC Barcelona have officially confirmed Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC as the opponents for the 61st edition of the Estrella Damm Gamper Festival, to be played on Wednesday 19 August at 8:00pm CEST at the Spotify Camp Nou. The fixture will serve as the Blaugrana’s first home game of the 2026/27 season and doubles as the club’s official squad presentation to supporters, making it one of the more loaded Gamper editions in recent memory.
The match carries an additional layer of significance as the first Joan Gamper Trophy to be staged at the Spotify Camp Nou since its reopening. The three preceding editions had been held away from the club’s historic home – at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys against AS Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur, and most recently at the Estadi Johan Cruyff against Como 1907. The return to the Spotify Camp Nou after its reopening gives the occasion a ceremonial weight that recent editions lacked.
According to the official FC Barcelona announcement, the Cairo side becomes the first Egyptian club and the first African side to take part in the Joan Gamper Trophy. According to the official FC Barcelona announcement, the Cairo side becomes the first Egyptian club and the first African side to take part in the Joan Gamper Trophy. Founded in 1907, Al Ahly are widely regarded as the most successful club on the continent and among the most decorated internationally, with their CAF Champions League record and regular FIFA Club World Cup appearances anchoring that reputation.
Their first encounter came in Cairo in 1961, and the sides met again in 2007 as part of Al Ahly’s centenary celebrations, also in the Egyptian capital. Their first encounter came in Cairo in 1961, and the sides met again in 2007 as part of Al Ahly’s centenary celebrations, also in the Egyptian capital.
The match will be broadcast live on Barça Play and the FC Barcelona Premium YouTube channel, ensuring global access to both the team presentation ceremony and the match itself.
