FC Barcelona will play a friendly in Sydney against an Australian League All Stars team
FC Barcelona will travel to Australia for the first time in its history to play a friendly match on May 25 against a selection of the best players from the Australian soccer league, the A-Leagues All Stars. The match will be played at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, with a capacity for 80,000 spectators.
Xavi Hernández's team will travel to Australia once their league season is over and will return straight after the match. This friendly is part of a special week in the Australian soccer calendar, taking place just three days before the A-League final. The match also coincides with several major events throughout the week in Sydney, such as the start of Vivid Sydney, one of the most important music and culture festivals held in the Australian city every year.
This is a historic match for the Club, as no professional or amateur Barça team in any sport has ever played a match on Australian soil before.
It can be watched under subscription on Barça TV+, FC Barcelona’s streaming platform.
Statements by Juli Guiu, Vice President, Marketing Area. FC Barcelona:
"We are very happy to be able to announce this match in Australia today against the A-Leagues All Stars. This will be the first time the team visits this country, where Barça are generating great interest. 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.”
Statements by Stuart Ayres: Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Minister for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Western Sydney:
“The FC Barcelona v A-Leagues All Stars match will generate significant international interest and put Australian football back in the international spotlight. It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase both our domestic professional A-Leagues and our beautiful Harbour City to the world.”
“Hosting this sporting star power in 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.”
Statements by Danny Townsend, CEO of Australian Professional Leagues:
“As we emerge from our third COVID-impacted football season, Australia and the A-Leagues are once again the 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.”