Barça Return to Basel. Once for a Trophy, Now for 90 More Minutes Before the Season

FC Barcelona face FC Basel on Sunday at 16:30 CEST at St. Jakob-Park. It will be Hansi Flick’s penultimate preseason test before competitive football begins, with only Wednesday’s Gamper Fest clash against Al Ahly to follow before the league trip to Elche. Barça completed their final session before travelling to Switzerland on Saturday, with Pedri continuing an individual programme during his first days back in preseason. 

The friendly itself may not be the biggest fixture on the calendar, but Basel has a special place in Barcelona’s European history. On 16 May 1979, Barça beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 4–3 after extra time there to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, with Carles Rexach, Juan Manuel Asensi, Hans Krankl and Julio Alberto scoring. The club itself describes that night as one of the great milestones in its European history. 

Barcelona’s most recent visit was rather enjoyable too. In October 2008, Pep Guardiola’s side demolished FC Basel 5–0 in the Champions League. Lionel Messi opened the scoring, Bojan struck twice, Xavi added another and Sergio Busquets scored his first goal for Barça’s first team. Almost 18 years later, Barcelona return to a city where their memories are significantly healthier than some of their recent balance sheets. 

There is another historical connection. Both clubs use the initials FCB and wear blue and claret, while Barcelona founder Hans Gamper played at least one match for FC Basel in 1896. One theory even suggests that Barça’s colours were inspired by Basel, although Barcelona itself stresses that this remains only one of several possible explanations. 

For Flick, however, nostalgia will be secondary. Barcelona’s league season starts later than that of some rivals because several players were involved in the latter stages of the World Cup, so there is not much preparation time left. Basel is another test rather than a history lesson — although it never hurts to remember that Barça once travelled to Switzerland to collect European trophies, not simply preseason minutes. 

FC BASEL – FC BARCELONA
📅 Sunday, August 16
⏰ 16:30 CEST
🏟️ St. Jakob-Park, Basel
📺 Barça Play and FC Barcelona’s official YouTube Premium channel — the club’s live video coverage is available in Spain only. Worldwide, the match can also be followed through Barça’s live text coverage, official app and social channels.