Barcelona’s opening friendly of their preseason tour will go ahead as planned, with Vissel Kobe their first opponents of the summer on Sunday.
The fixture, which the club confirmed in June, had been thrust into doubt just before Barcelona were due to fly to Japan. The La Liga champions said on Wednesday that Sunday’s clash would not go ahead due to a row with promoters, but the issues, believed to be financial, were resolved by Thursday, and the club flew out on Friday.
Hansi Flick’s side head into the summer as La Liga champions, having enjoyed a mightily successful season during the German’s first at the helm. Flick’s Blaugrana will ease back into the swing of things out in the Far East, with two more friendlies taking place in South Korea.
The club have strong ties to Vissel Kobe, with Sunday’s bout the third time they’ve faced off in friendlies since 2019. After leaving Barça in 2018, Andrés Iniesta spent five of his final years as a player in Kobe.
The J1 League outfit are midway through the 2025 season and currently sit at the top of the table through 24 games.
Here's everything you need to know about Barcelona’s first friendly of the summer.
