Last year, the FC Barcelona men’s and women’s teams made history by playing the first ever joint Joan Gamper Trophy. Juventus were the opposition on that occasion, and in 2022 the format is to be repeated, this time against another Italian club, AS Roma. The date has been set for August 6, with both Xavi Hernández’s and Jonatan Giráldez’s squads being presented to supporters as part of the proceedings.
The event returns to the Camp Nou after being played at the Estadi Johan Cruyff last season. The women’s game will start at 5.30pm local time, while the men’s game kicks off at 9.00pm. The official presentation of the two squads will take place in between at 7.50pm.
Second appearance by AS Roma
AS Roma were also the guests at the Joan Gamper in 2015, with Barça winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Neymar, Messi and Rakitic.
The two men’s teams have played a total of 12 different games over the years, but this will be the first match ever between their female equivalents. For the men, the first meeting was on 23 July 1953 at an international tournament played in Caracas, Venezuela, ending in a blaugrana victory, 1-0.
In recent years, the two teams have played each other as many as six times in the UEFA Champions League. In the 2001/02 edition, they met in the group stage, with a draw at Camp Nou (1-1) and a won for the Italians at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome (3-0). In 2015, also in the group stage, the reverse occurred with a draw in Rome (1-1) and a Barça win at Camp Nou (6-1), while the 2018 meeting was in the quarter finals, with Barça winning 4-1 at Camp Nou but the Italians mounting a comeback in the second leg to win 3-0 and qualify for the next round.
The last time the teams played each other was on 1 August 2018, in Arlington, Texas, as part of the International Champions Cup, and ended in a 4-2 win for the Italians.
Tickets for what will be the 57th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy are already on sale on the club’s website. The cheapest cost 19 euros and as usual the club is offering a discount for members, of 30%, and for supporter’s clubs, of 15%.
