FC Barcelona to Play in Sydney, Australia for the First Time

Barcelona's Gabonese midfielder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bicycle kicks the ball during the UEFA Europa League round of 16 football match between FC Barcelona and Galatasaray at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images

Sydney will play host to one of the world’s most iconic soccer teams in May when FC Barcelona take on Australia’s A-League All-Stars.

This will mark the first time the club has toured Australia, and the top squad, featuring the likes of Dani Alves, Adama Traoré, Sergi Roberto, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, will play a selection of the best players among Australia’s A-League clubs.

Minister for Tourism and Sport, Stuart Ayres, said in a release on Wednesday that the New South Wales (NSW) government was proud to secure this event, calling FC Barcelona one of the most recognisable sporting teams and citing their great record of five European Champions League titles, three FIFA Club World Cups, and 26 LaLiga wins.

“The club has the largest social media presence of any football brand in the world, with more than 396 million followers across its social media platforms,” he said.

“Bringing that star power to Sydney will highlight the city’s attractions and world-class events calendar to football fans around the globe, turbocharging the NSW visitor economy on its road to recovery.”

The historic exhibition match will be played at Accor Stadium, formerly known as ANZ Stadium and Stadium Australia, on May 25, just three days ahead of the men’s A-League Grand Final and two days before the start of VIVID Sydney—a three-week-long annual creative festival that combines art installations, 3D light, and live music performances.

FC Barcelona Vice President of Marketing, Juli Guiu, said this would be the first time Barça has stepped onto Australian soil and acknowledged a large number of fans down under.

“Being able to play this match will give us the opportunity to bring the club and its values ​​closer to our fans and will also give us the opportunity for new audiences to get to know FC Barcelona and all that it represents, which has made it a reference entity on and off the pitch,” he said.

FC Barcelona are currently sitting in second place on the LaLiga ladder, with 16 wins, nine draws, and four losses from 29 matches played, while Real Madrid sits 12 points ahead of them with 21 wins, six draws, and three losses from 30 matches played.

Australian Professional Leagues CEO Danny Townsend said that as Australia comes out of its third COVID-impacted football season, Australia is once again a popular destination for international teams.

“One of the world’s best teams taking on the best of the A-League just days before the men’s Grand Final is going to deliver a feast of football for fans in Australia during Grand Final Week,” he said.

Pre-sale tickets were released on Thursday, while tickets go on sale to the general public on April 13.