Five unmissable games at Camp Nou in 2022

The dates for the 2022/23 season at Camp Nou are starting to take shape. The Champions League draw is still some time away, but there are already plenty of red-letters dates to note in your diary (all times CET/CEST).

The Gamper

The traditional curtain-raiser to the new season at Camp Nou is once again being played as a double-header featuring the men’s and women’s teams. On August 6, the women take on AS Roma at 5.30pm, after which the two squads will be officially presented. Then at 9.00pm the Barça men will also be playing the side from the Italian capital.

Barça v Manchester City for charity

On August 24, the Camp Nou is hosting a game that is not just about football. Former goalkeeper and coach Juan Carlos Unzué, who just over two years ago was diagnosed with ALS, is promoting what is sure to be a very special occasion.

Barça president Joan Laporta and City’s Catalan coach Pep Guardiola have pledged their full support for the cause and this game should raise plenty of funds for research into the illness, while also providing a homecoming for a man who achieved so much at the club and a big test for Barça against one of Europe’s strongest teams.

Villarreal in town

On October 19, Barça entertain last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Villarreal in a midweek fixture that immediately follows the game with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Athletic Club

Just a few days after taking on Villarreal, Barça have a weekend game on October 22 or 23 against Athletic Club, the team that eliminated them from the Copa del Rey last season. The clash between the Catalan and Basque giants is one of the oldest in Spanish football and never fails to produce a grand occasion.

Derby with Espanyol

From November 9 to late December, la Liga is taking an unprecedented mid-season break while the World Cup is being held in Qatar. But there’s a cracker of a game awaiting when the domestic season finally gets going again, none other than a derby against Espanyol, the last game of 2022 at Camp Nou.