Barcelona 2-1 Al Ahly: Joan Gamper Trophy Stays At Camp Nou
FC Barcelona won the 61st Festa del Gamper Estrella Damm, beating Egyptian giants Al Ahly 2-1 on a special night at Spotify Camp Nou, marking the club’s return to hosting the traditional preseason trophy at its home stadium for the first time in four years.
Hamza Abdelkarim and Raphinha scored first-half goals to put Barcelona in control before Ahmed Sayed Zizo pulled one back for the Egyptian side after the break. The match, played on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, followed the presentation of the 2026/27 squad to the 54,224 fans in attendance, with head coach Hansi Flick and Raphinha, acting as first captain, addressing the crowd before kick-off. The new signings were given a warm welcome, with World Cup 2026 winner Rodri, who joined Barcelona for £65 million from Manchester City earlier in the week, receiving the biggest ovation, though the midfielder was not involved in the match itself.
Flick started with Jules Koundé alongside Gerard Martín in central defence, while youngsters Xavi Espart and Hamza Abdelkarim were also included in the starting XI. Barça immediately took control, pressing high and keeping Al Ahly pinned back for much of the opening period, with Fermín López causing problems through his runs in behind and Raphinha seeing an effort blocked before sending a long-range strike narrowly wide.
The opening goal arrived in the 29th minute, when 18-year-old Abdelkarim fired in following a slick one-two between Raphinha and Alejandro Balde, netting his fourth goal of the pre-season campaign against his former club. The forward chose not to celebrate the goal out of respect for Al Ahly. Barcelona doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when captain Raphinha converted a penalty after being brought down by Hady Reyad, sending his effort to the right of goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who guessed the correct direction but could not keep the ball out.
Al Ahly responded quickly after the restart, reducing the deficit in the 51st minute when Zizo controlled the ball superbly following a swift counterattack before beating goalkeeper Joan García to make it 2-1. The Egyptian forward’s composed left-footed finish gave the African champions renewed hope of completing a comeback, and the visitors continued to push for an equaliser as the match entered its final stages.
Flick made six changes at the interval, introducing Dani Olmo and Anthony Gordon among others, with further changes following shortly after the hour mark as Gavi, Adeyemi and Christensen entered, before Pedri, Bisiwu and Szczesny joined later in the contest. Gordon, making his Spotify Camp Nou debut, thought he had restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage, only for his effort to be ruled out, and he later missed a penalty, though the miss made no difference to the outcome as Barça saw out the closing moments to secure victory.
The result marked a historic occasion for Al Ahly, who became the first Arab and African club to participate in Barcelona’s traditional preseason tournament in its 61-edition history. Managed by Hussein Ammouta, the Cairo giants, widely regarded as the most decorated club in African football, wrapped up their pre-season camp in Spain with the visit to Camp Nou ahead of the 2026/27 season. Barcelona have now won 47 of their 60 previous editions of the Joan Gamper Trophy heading into this year’s contest, continuing their dominant historical record in the fixture.
About the Author
