Barcelona pre-season tracker: Anthony Gordon targets debut as Barca beaten by Birmingham City in pre-season friendly
By Becky Hart
Updated 31/07/2026 at 22:40 GMT+1
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Barcelona's pre-season plans are slightly in flux as they await the return of so many of their World Cup stars, having provided a strong cohort of players for the victorious Spain team, including Lamine Yamal, and they were beaten by Birmingham on July 31.
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Barcelona will be hoping to win a third La Liga title in a row when the 2026/27 season kicks off, but to do so they will need to get the better of bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Firmly back in the Camp Nou now, Barcelona will be aiming to improve on their quarter-final showing in last season's UEFA Champions League, where they lost on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.
Led by Hansi Flick, Barcelona have a wealth of talent in their ranks, with teenage sensation Yamal only getting better and better, lifting the famous World Cup trophy aged just 19.
There were eight Barcelona players in the Spanish squad, and 16 in total featuring in the World Cup. As such, Barcelona's pre-season may get off to a slow start as those players slowly begin to integrate their way back into the squad.
After playing Birmingham City, Barcelona are then playing a short series of 45-minute matches with Nottingham Forest and Udinese.
Their match against Al Ahly is yet to be confirmed, and would likely round out their pre-season before they open up their La Liga campaign against Elche.
Barca beaten at St Andrew's
Barca travelled to the UK to take on Birmingham, and a certain Jude Bellingham was in the stands.
As a former Birmingham player and now Real Madrid man, there was a mixed reception for the England star.
After being booed by a section of Barca fans, Bellingham likely ended the evening on a high as Birmingham won 3-2 on penalties.
Hamza Abdelkarim scored both of Barca's goals, but the Spanish champions missed three times in the shoot-out as Birmingham won 3-2 on penalties.
Barcelona pre-season fixtures and results
| Match | Date and time (UK) |
| Barcelona 4-1 Club Esportiu Europa | Thursday, July 24, Ciutat Esportiva |
| Barcelona 2-2 (2-3 pens) Birmingham | Friday, July 31, 19:45, St Andrew's |
| Barcelona v Nottingham Forest (45 mins) | Saturday, Aug 8, 20:00, Stadio Friuli |
| Barcelona v Udinese (45 mins) | Saturday, Aug 8, 21:00, Stadio Friuli |
| Barcelona v Al Ahly (TBC) | Wednesday, Aug 19, TBD, Camp Nou |
Barcelona pre-season squad
Goalkeepers: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczesny
Defenders: Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin, Hector Fort
Midfielders: Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal
Attackers: Roony Bardghji
With so many of Barcelona's players on World Cup duty, it is no surprise that very few have reported back for training yet.
That being said, Flick has called on 15 players from the B-team and Under-19 squad to join first-team training, including their next wonderkid, 17-year-old Jordi Pesquer.
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Yamal, Raphinha, Dani Olmo and and Pedri will all return once they have recovered from their World Cup exploits.
However, Marcus Rashford headed back to Manchester United, with Barcelona not taking up their option on the player.
Anthony Gordon will ensure there is still an English star on show, though, after signing from Newcastle United.
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What have the players said?
"I am ready for this challenge," Gordon said of signing for his new club.
"I'm very aware of the history of the club and the incredible players who have worn this shirt. I'm excited, and I'm proud to be here. It's a dream turned into a reality to be part of this team.
"I found out very late from the conversations I was having that there was interest from Barca, but I think as soon as I found out they were a serious option, there was never any question.
"It is the biggest club on the planet, and it's the stuff I dreamed of as a child."
New signings watch
Gordon completed his move from Newcastle to Barcelona back in May on a five-year deal worth a reported £69.3 million.
Karim Adeyemi has also joined the La Liga giants from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.
Ansu Fati has left the team, heading to AS Monaco, and Inaki Pena has also departed for Panathinaikos.
That leaves plenty of business to be done, with Julian Alvarez said to be a target, but making any deal with Atletico Madrid looks set to prove extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, Spanish outlet SPORT has reported that Paris Saint-Germain have set their sights on Spain’s World Cup hero and Barcelona forward Ferran Torres.
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